JOIN US TO TRADE
Facing The Downturn
SECRETS
ON THE COVER
Learn the Secrets
of the Fashion Trade
from Fashion Icon
Making The Calls
LINDA DRESNER
A local family who sought help
encourages others with needs
to do the same.
TRADEM
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
U
nemployed, but with two
college degrees and 30 years'
work experience, "Leah"
said, "I know I should be on the other
side of the desk. I've had jobs helping
people. I shouldn't be the one being
helped:'
But she is, and Leah has a positive,
clear perspective of her options and
how to accept them. "Asking for help
was the most bizarre thing for us to
have to do, but we did it: she said.
Two years ago, when both she and
her husband were out of work, they
began to seek assistance.
Difficult as it was, Leah said her
family, including two teenage children,
had to come first. "The need to protect
them outweighed my embarrassment"
February 25, 2009 7 p.m.
Townsenc Hotel, Birmingham
Priorities
At JFS, a social worker was assigned to
meet with the family. With both Leah
and her husband having specific med-
ical needs, an immediate concern was
health care. They received it through
Project Chessed, a JFS program that
provides medical assistance to under-
insured adults.
"They have a group of doctors who
provide care, and everything with
Project Chessed is confidential: she
said.
Because Project Chessed only
benefits adults,
JFS staff referred
Leah to MIChild,
a health insur-
ance program for
uninsured children
under the Michigan
Department of
Community Health.
"MIChild even
worked retroactively:
- an unemployed parent she said. "Doctors we
owed money to from
before signing up
were paid."
What spurred her to make the first
JFS also helped them keep their
call was her mother, a Holocaust survi-
vor. "My mom looked at me and said, `I home. "Our mortgage company wasn't
helpful and even told us we should
thought your life would be better than
have our families make our payments:
mine," Leah said. "Between that, and
Leah said. "But JFS had someone who
the fact that we had no insurance, I
talked to our mortgage company for
knew it was time
us. We could have lost our house, but
Leah called everyone and anyone,
we were able to get a partial claim
including Detroit Edison, which dis-
[allowing them to skip five mortgage
counted their bills. But, she said, the
payments and add them to the end of
biggest help they received was from
their payment time]. And JFS helped
Jewish communal agencies, which
out by paying into the claim for us."
they were led to by Michigan 2-1-
The family also benefits from JVS, a
1. Spearheaded by the United Way,
Jewish agency providing self-sufficien-
Michigan 2-1-1 provides health and
cy through counseling, training and
human resource information.
"I was home, unemployed, watching support. Leah collects unemployment,
TV and I saw a commercial for 2-1-1: but is actively seeking a job, working
with a head hunter and meeting with a
Leah said. "I called and they gave me
Join JVS for an amazing night out to support the JVS Women
to Work Program. Learn the secrets of the fashion trade,
enjoy gourmet food and exceptional conversation and have
the opportunity to trade secrets of your own with other guests.
A Trade Secret is a gift, new or vintage, that reveals a bit of
history, sage advice or a secret family recipe in a serving piece
to accompany it, a piece of jewelry or another item that has
special meaning,
JVS
Retfil7h1:4
pole! ir tl
www.jvsdet.org
"If there are places out there
that can give us help, shame,
shame on anyone who points
a finger when we ask for it."
Tickets are $100, $180, $360 and $500. Sponsorships also available.
For reservations and sponsor information, contact Sharon Snyder at
(24,8) 233-4290 or sslyde4jvsdet. org ,
Presenting Sponsor
Trade Secrets Committee Co-Chairs
Fieldman Sims
Foundation
Hadas Bernard
Elaine Fieldman
Diamond Sponsor
Lisa & Brian Meer
Emerald Sponsors
Edw. C. Levy Company
LSG Insurance Partners
Sapphire Sponsors
Hadas & Dennis Bernard
Judy Greenwald
Lewis/Klein Properties
Oakland University
Lillian & Joseph Schwartz
Charitable Fund
Tender
Sponsor list as of 1/28/09
Trade Secrets Committee Members
Adrienne Bass
Judith Burdick
Sue Curhan
Sharon Eisenshtadt
Ronda Ferber
Sheryl Freedland
Judy Greenwald
Sherry Kanter
Jackie Layne
Cheryl Margolis
Julie Nelson-Klein
Patti Nemer
Dawn Rassel
Abbe Sherbin
Dorie Shwedel
Shayna Silverman
Sharon Snyder
Michelle Taigman
Gwen Weiner
Hon. Helene White
JVS thanks Charter One Bank for their annual support
of the Women to Work Program
1474160
A18
February 5 • 2009
the numbers of some organizations,
like the Salvation Army — and a few
others which had run out of money.
They suggested I call Lutheran Family
Service. And then it hit me, what I
needed to do was call Jewish Family
Service (JFS):'