Health & Fitness

'Sussman At Sea'

Jewish humanitarian sails to raise money for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Stephanie Steinberg

T2T Intern

Ann Arbor

M

any kids have childhood
dreams of becoming doctors,
flying a rocket ship to the
moon or winning an Oscar for their lead
movie role. Ari Sussman dreamed of sail-
ing the Atlantic Ocean.
Sussman, 26, of Ann Arbor decided
to fulfill his childhood dream and
raise money for the Crohn's & Colitis
Foundation of America at the same time.
Sussman's lifelong friend, Yossi Schiff, suf-
fered from Crohn's disease and ulcerative
colitis. Sadly, Schiff died from complica-
tions of ulcerative colitis surgery one
month after his graduation from the

University of Michigan in 2005.
Sussman and Schiff met in elementary
school. Their friendship grew as they
attended Sunday school at Beth Israel
Congregation in Ann Arbor and summer
camps together.
"We were involved in the Habonim Dror
youth movment and Camp Tavor for over a
decade Sussman said. The two headed off
to separate colleges, Sussman to Michigan
State University and Schiff to U-M, but
they remained close friends.
In memory of Schiff, Sussman has
established a fundraiser called "Sussman
at See
Sussman's goal is to raise $10,000
by Sept. 1. If achieved, the Lefkofsky
Foundation, a trust established in 2006
that supports medical research and chari-
table causes around the world, will match
the funds with an additional $10,000

grant. Sussman already has raised more
than $7,000 through The Point, his cam-
paign Web site.
Yet Sussman stresses, "Money pledged
on the Web site won't be deducted from
folks' bank accounts unless we meet our
goal."
In June, Sussman set sail from
Charleston, S.C., in Phat Alice, a 40-foot
sailboat. "My previous boating experience
has been very limited ... a few canoes and
the odd paddleboat," Sussman wrote on
his online blog.
When asked how the trip will be
financed, Sussman responded, "I cashed
the change jar and sold my second best
car:'
His sailing crew consists of two Brits,
who own Phat Alice, and one Israeli. The
crew will sail a total of 4,000 miles. So far,
they've sailed to Bermuda and are on their

Ari Sussman aboard Phat Alice

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July 17 • 2008

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