faces

rTh Stakes Help

Yad Ezra supporters "ante up"
to assist families in need.

BY ROBIN SCHWARTZ I PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

Left: Sherrie Singer and Kara Weiner, both of West Bloomfield. Right: Yad Ezra President

Diane Rimar of Berkley and Ken Bernard of Farmington Hills.

An annual night of wheeling and dealing inside Yad Ezra's Berkley warehouse
took on an extra sense of urgency in the midst of Michigan's weakened economy.
About 200 people gathered March 7 for dinner, drinks, a Texas hold'em tourna-
ment, bingo, door prizes, auction items and more. The group raised $36,000 for
Michigan's only kosher food pantry, which has seen a 35-percent increase in the
number of local Jewish families requesting assistance. "It's hard to imagine, but Yad
Ezra helps one in 24 Jews in our community," said the nonprofit group's develop-
ment director, Lea Luger. "Our groceries make a huge difference for people who
can't stretch their budgets any further." Money raised at the event will go to Yad
Ezra's school lunch program, which provides free, nutritious lunches for hundreds of
day-school children from low-income families. "Now, more than ever, we're a safety
net for families in need," said Luger. Amy Schlussel and Nancy Kleinfeldt, both of
Huntington Woods, served as event co-chairs.

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Left: Amy Schlussel and Nancy Kleinfeldt, both of Huntington Woods. Right: Kevin Feber and

Joel Topf, both of Huntington Woods.

Glamorous Giving

Women enjoy an evening of pampering
to benefit ORT.

Left: Risa VanDerAue and Jody Charlip, both of Farmington Hills, Franci Hirsch of Commerce

and Julie Hirsch of West Bloomfield. Right: Laura Gorosh and her daughter, Hannah, 10, of

BY ROBIN SCHWARTZ I PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

Birmingham.

The chance to meet with makeup consultants, enjoy skin-care treatments and get
a sneak peek at spring fashions brought more than 100 women to Neiman Marcus
in Troy. But a special something else also drew people to ORT America's Feb. 26
Glamorous Giving event: the opportunity to give back during these tough eco-
nomic times. "I love ORT because whatever you give goes to change people's lives
and their futures," said Laura Gorosh of Birmingham. She co-chaired the event
with Andrea Beavers of Farmington Hills. The evening included cocktails, a stroll-
ing dinner, tea-leaf readings and more. The group raised $30,000 for ORT's global
network of schools. Neiman Marcus donated an additional $1,500. "We're grateful
this event generated critical dollars," said ORT development associate Lyn Klein of
West Bloomfield. "The funds will help support more than 300,000 ORT students
and teachers in 62 countries including Israel, the former Soviet Union, Argentina
and the United States."

Left: Lisa Menuck and Mario Scott, both of Birmingham, and Ilyse Aaron of West Bloomfield.

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Right: Roz Blanck of Franklin, ORT America President Doreen Hermelin of Bingham Farms

and Linda Sahn of Orchard Lake.

IN platinum •

APRIL 2009 •

B5

