JSL Awards Given
Two awards were handed out to Jewish Senior Life staff at the
annual meeting. The Michael Cloonan Employee Excellence
Award, named after 29-year employee Mike Cloonan who died last
summer, was given to JCare Administrative Assistant Joyce Hicks.
Hicks is an outstanding example of a multi-tasker. Her job
requires her to interact with staff, residents and their families,
often at difficult times, yet she always maintains a positive
attitude and uses her sense of humor to make the workday feel
less like work and more welcoming
The Sandra and Dr. Alfred I. Sherman Award for social workers
and administrators, was presented by the Shermans to Tracey
Proghovnick, L.M.S.W.
She is director of Information and Referral Services in West
Bloomfield, which covers all residences Jewish Senior Life now
serves. She constantly impresses both staff and sponsors with her
vast knowledge of social work and her care of the ever-changing
needs of JSL residents.
The meeting concluded with JSL Treasurer Mark Davidoff
presenting the Excellence Award to JSL board member Eli A.
Scherr, a board member of Jewish Apartments & Services and,
more recently, a part of the Hechtman Oversight Task Force. He
serves as chair of the JSL House Committee. His philanthropic
acts reach far across the community and numerous groups
have benefited through his benevolence. He recently gifted the
activities center at Hechtman II.
Ella Baker, 85, returned to her same apartment: "These apartments were built
by a caring Jewish community to lessen the trauma for an aging population. I
see how people are valued as precious human beings. I know I belong here."
Ashes, Art Heroes and Heart
To order a copy of the book about the Hechtman II fire, go to
www.jewishseniorlife.org or call (248) 661-2999. Cost is $22, post-paid.
From The Ashes on page 12
That summer of 2008, about 100 groups
each decorated 10 feet of the fence, creat-
ing colorful messages of hope and sup-
port. These symbolic works of art were
not lost when the fence came down.
A mural hanging in the Hechtman din-
ing room was unveiled during the annual
meeting. Assembled by Susan Winton-
Feinberg, lead designer of Walter Herz
Interiors in Bloomfield Hills, the mural
features collaged photographic images
from the Art Fence Project. In the center,
are the well-chosen words: "A great mira-
cle happened here!'
Additionally, a book chronicling the
fire and its aftermath, chock full of won-
derful photos and a narrative, was also
released. Written and photographed by
Peter Wurdock, JSL director of communi-
cations (and author/photographer of two
other books), Ashes, Art, Heroes and Heart
truly captures the impact of the fire and
its significance in pulling our community
together.
What comes through in the book, edited
by JSL volunteers Susie Citrin and Sharon
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Alterman, is that at the heart of this amaz-
ing story is the dedicated JSL staff.
Heroic Staff
"Although all JSL staff members came
together on that horrific day to assist in
any way possible, and for months follow-
ing the fire as well, there was one group of
staff members who worked particularly
hard from the moment one of the house-
keeping staff smelled something burn-
ing — the Hechtman staff' said Marsha
Goldsmith Kamin, JSL executive director,
during the annual meeting.
"Without this hardworking, dedicated
group of people, we would not have come
out of this scary situation without a loss
or injury. They were first responders and
assisted our public safety personnel in
many, many ways!"
In fact, staff had evacuated about half the
seniors from Hechtman II before the WBFD
arrived. And staff members would have
kept going back in, says Hechtman admin-
istrator Carol Dmitruk, had firefighters
forced them not to for safety reasons.
"I have never been involved in anything
like this',' Dmitruk said. "I learned that
having a system in place to deal with emer-
gencies is invaluable. Having a staff you
respect and trust is invaluable. Knowing
that Marsha and the leadership of the
organization you work with trusts you and
will guide you through this kind of extreme
emergency, let's you function at a level you
didn't know you were capable of
Goldsmith Kamin garnered kudos from
staff, volunteers, residents and fire depart-
ment personnel for being a calm, highly
capable leader throughout the fire and
beyond. She worked diligently with the
Hechtman Oversite Task Force headed by
JSL past president Larry Tisdale to man-
age ongoing efforts.
Over the past two years, she also landed
"green grants" of more than $1 million
each for JSEs four U.S. Housing and Urban
Development buildings, Dmitruk said.
Improvements will include environmen-
tally efficient toilets, carpeting, boilers and
siding.
And during the same two years, Gold-
smith Kamin, formerly Jewish Apartments
& Sevices executive director, and Carol
Rosenberg, formerly Jewish Housing &
Aging Services executive director, worked
to merge their two agencies into one
— Jewish Senior Life.
"Bringing our two agencies together, we
have created a wholeness; an agency that
has one No. 1 door; offers a seamless
continuum of care for our elders; blends
two legacy agency cultures into one
organization that serves our seniors with
the highest level of care imaginable
Goldsmith Kamin said at the meeting.
"Our ancestors have been through
countless persecutions and lots of
destruction, yet managed to persevere
every time to rebuild and move forward:'
she said. "We looked at the destruction
of Hechtman and faced the challenge
head on to recreate an even better, more
wonderful place to house our elders than
existed before 0
Next week: Meet Jewish Senior Life's new
CEO, Rochelle Upfal.
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