Metro

AROUND TOWN

Team Building

Volunteers construct sukkot at JARC homes.

Beth Shalom volunteers

at JARC's Samuel Home
in Beverly Hills

J

immy Ketai of Franklin looked like a pro — assembling tools, ladders and
metal pipes and calling the shots in the front yard of a JARC home on Roycourt
in Huntington Woods.
"I've built many a sukkah in my day:' he said. "It's a great feel-
ing to help others in our community who are unable to do this
on their own!'
Ketai and his sons, Josh, 17, and Evan, 13, were among a
group of 234 volunteers dispatched across southeast Oakland
County to build and decorate sukkahs at 17 JARC group homes
for people with disabilities. Fifth- and sixth-grade religious
school students from Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield and
Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park also took part in the
annual hands-on effort, which also build relationships in the
process.
"This event gives our volunteers the opportunity to interact
on a more personal level with individuals served by JARC," said

Eric Randolph of West Bloomfield, Danny Aronovitz of

Huntington Woods and Jimmy Ketai of Franklin

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October 9 • 2008

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Alissa Pianin, the Farmington Hills organization's community relations coordinator.
"Many families return to the same home year after year!"
The Aronovitz clan of Huntington Woods is one of those families. Joanne Aronovitz
worked alongside her husband, Danny, and daughters, Sara, 17, and Anna, 13. For more
than a decade, she has taken part in seasonal events like the sukkah building and plant-
ing flowers; she also visits the same home each week to say Shabbat prayers.
"Every Friday night at 5 o'clock, I come here," Aronovitz said. "They're a part of my
family"
The tradition of giving seems to be catching on with her teenage daughters.
"It's really special," said Anna. "It just makes me feel good to come here and do some-
thing for other people!'
Also spotted in the sukkah building crowd were: Lindsay and Ryan Dembs and
Ashley and Gregg Oleshansky, all of Franklin; Linda and Art Berlin of Bloomfield
Hills; Andrew Colton, Courtney Colton, Jordyn Plotnik and Julie Plotnik, all
of Birmingham; Debbie and Darryl Kaplan and Danny Kurzmann, all of West
Bloomfield; and Amy and Jimmy Berlin of Huntington Woods. ❑

Beth Radner of Huntington Woods, Joey Yaker, 11, of Huntington
Woods, and Gila Gelfond of Beverly Hills at JARC'S Samuel Home

Marc Newman and his daughter, Mackenzie,
10, of Huntington Woods