Metro

AROUND TOWN

Trading Secret":

Women exchange gifts and life lessons during a unique event to benefit JVS.

Sher Kaplan and Judy Etkin, both of
Farmington Hills

Leah Rosenbaum of Southfield, Shirleyanne Schiang of Beverly Hills and Teresa

Schwartz of Livonia

Tender of Birmingham's Andi Rehm
of Birmingham and Crystal Motske of

Auburn Hills

G

ifts of knowledge, wisdom and life experience came
wrapped in packages of all shapes and sizes during a
unique event Feb. 25 at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.
More than 200 women exchanged tangible and spiritual gifts with
friends and total strangers during Trade Secrets, a benefit for the
JVS Women to Work Program. The program helps women enter the
workforce after divorce, unemployment or
other major life changes.
"We gave each other something vintage
or new with a value of at least $36 and
with that we gave advice about life or about
the item," explained Hadas Bernard of
Birmingham.
She co-chaired the event with Elaine
Fieldman of Bloomfield Hills.
"I got a book and a candle from a psy-
chologist:' Bernard added. "She wrote a let-
ter and in the letter she wrote about what
brings true happiness in people's lives."
The women also heard inspiring stories
from two featured speakers, fashion specialist Linda Dresner
of Birmingham and Ulla Lilienthal of Brighton. Lilienthal was

Lisa Lis and Sandy Shecter, both of
Farmington Hills

presented with the JVS Women to Work award for overcoming
adversity and reclaiming her career. After 15 years as a stay-at-
home mom who helped her sons through a traumatic dog attack
and severe food allergies, Lilienthal left an abusive marriage and
fled with her children to a women's shelter. She participated in
the JVS program and is now a lab manager at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor, conducting diabetes research.
"Ulla's story of survival is a message of hope to women," said
Fox 2 News anchor/health reporter Lila Lazarus, who emceed
the event. "Her story teaches that each of us possess the inner
strength and courage to overcome and accomplish anything we
put our minds to!'
JVS is a nonprofit human services organization with offices
in Detroit, Southfield, Roseville and West Bloomfield. Last year,
the agency served more than 10,000 people through career
development, housing, employment and other services. The
Trade Secrets event raised more than $65,000, enough to fund
the Women to Work program for an entire year.
"Obviously, it's a passion, and we struck a chord with women
and people in general;' said Bernard. "JVS is the kind of orga-
nization that whether you're giving your time or your money,
it's always being used wisely."

Meagan and Allison Margolis, both of

Nancy Kantor of Bloomfield Hills and

Bloomfield Hills

Gwen Weiner of Franklin

The JVS Women to Work program
has been around for more than 25
years, helping women from various
backgrounds and life stages enter
the workforce. Among other ser-
vices, JVS counselors help partici-
pants develop job strategies, identify
educational opportunities and work
on resume writing, interviewing and
networking skills. Women involved
also have the chance to meet direct-
ly with employers.
Women to Work participants are
typically unaware of the work-related
skills they possess and often lack the
self-confidence they need to embark
upon a successful job search," reads
a JVS flyer for the program. For more
information, go to www.jvsdet.org or
call (248) 233-4232.

Jackie Layne of Bloomfield Hills and
Julie Nelson-Klein of West Bloomfield

March 12 2009

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