Editor's Letter

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JARC volunteer Eli Scherr of Farmington Hills leads a 2007 JARC seder.

Overcoming from page A6

Wishing you a blessed Yom Kippur

*macy*s

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The things we do for dreams7

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A6

October 2 2008

record. "Perhaps our biggest accom-
plishment," she said, "is bringing
people out of the shadows so their
names, their faces and their voices
could emerge!'
And emerge they have.
Many JARC residents work. Some
demand a lot of attention. But these
men, women and children are people
who deserve to be embraced, not
shunned. They are superb teachers as
well. Keller is quick to share their most
integral lesson: "that every person
possesses gifts and talents and has a
contribution to make; that facing an
often unwelcoming world can trigger
remarkable inner strength; and most
of all, that you are held back only by
your vision for what you can accom-
plish, not by your own limitations."
As wonderful as JARC and its resi-
dents are, unsung are its families whose
compassion and advocacy for their
loved ones act as spurs for new ideas,
new directions and new beginnings.

Seamless Shift
But now it's time for someone else
to tend Joyce Keller's tree. Enter Rick
Loewenstein, who comes to JARC by
way of the Cranbrook Educational
Community of Bloomfield Hills and
Gleaners Community Food Bank of
Southeastern Michigan.
I've known Loewenstein since his
days at Gleaners. He's a perfect fit at
JARC. No sooner was he on the job than
he visited all 20 JARC homes, meeting
families, staff, volunteers and support-
ers — mingling, observing, absorbing.
He knows he must carve his own
path through the twists and turns
of communal service. But he's smart
enough to know that drawing from
Keller's legacy will serve him well.
It's not by chance that the Michigan
Professional and Business Association
recently named JARC among the
"101 Best Places to Work for in Metro
Detroit" for the sixth time.
To make Keller's imprint indelible,
JARC has announced that it will name

its 20th home, operating since 2006
in Farmington Hills, the Joyce Keller
and Michael Walch Home. So far, 26
donors have generated more than
$300,000 toward endowing the home's
operations. Further, 130 donors have
contributed more than $12,000 to the
Joyce Keller Legacy Fund, an unre-
stricted JARC fund for future projects.
Such support reinforces the love our
community holds for Keller and the
confidence we have in the organization
that she has played an integral role in
building, literally from the ground up.
Still, there's much yet to do.
Loewenstein knows that. At the cel-
ebration for Keller, he said: "The foun-
dation has been built and now is the
time to thrust our mission forward. It's
time to continue to lead the field with
gentle teaching, collaborations in the
community and our new Nusbaum
home, JARC's first barrier-free green
home currently slated to open in the
first quarter of next year."
Welcome, Rick. And thanks so
much, Joyce, on behalf of Jewish
Detroit, one of America's great Jewish
communities. You've awakened us to
the possibilities for people with dis-
abilities. You've taught us to capitalize
on strengths, not dwell on deficits.
You've taught us that everyone has
skill sets to plumb, not discount. You've
had a profound impact on moving
very special people away from isola-
tion and into the brighter world of
inclusiveness.
As the solemnity of Yom Kippur and
haunting strains of Kol Nidrei near
on Oct. 8, JARC stands tall in remind-
ing us that good will means looking
beyond the borders of our own lives
and doing what we can to provide
something warmer, more caring and
uplifting than the confinement of state
institutions.
Meanwhile, to the Detroit Jewish
community: G'mar chatimah tovah.
May you be sealed for a good year.
And Shabbat shalom! ❑

JARC's Web site address is: www.jarc.org.

