Health & Fitness WELLNESS a 'Community As Family' Psychologist urges all metro residents to aid central-city Detroiters. Let it Snow!!! When Birmingham, Farmington, Southfield or West Bloomfield schools are closed- , =;. - When your school is closed come enjoy a fun filled day of games, sports, basketball, our extreme inflatable course and so much. more Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm *Extended hours available from 4:00 - 6:00 pm Cost: Member: $50.00 day Non Member: $60.00 day Extended Hours: $8.00 For more information, please call Kim Cash 248.352.8000 ext. 223 or email Kcash@ffrc.net 29350 Northwestern Highway, South lerri, Michigan 48034 Want to get the JN online? Not a print subscriber? Get your issue now! IT'S EASY! *4* _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ _ _419. 4 *4 .44 1606090 December 30 • 2010 Di S he may have been preaching to the choir, but that didn't make Dr. Sonya Friedman's vision of "Community as Family" any less poignant. Americans seem to have lost the big picture of helping those beyond their small circle of family and friends, the Bloomfield Hills-based psychologist, author, educator and journalist said. Friedman was a featured speaker at the Dec. 2 annual meeting of Detroit Central City Community Mental Health, Inc. The event drew an audience of nearly 200 to Detroit's Westin Book Cadillac Hotel. For 40 years the nonprofit agency, based in midtown, has provided ongoing mental health, housing and substance abuse services to area residents as well as those being dis- charged from crisis centers, psychiat- ric hospitals, prisons and jails or who reside in adult foster care homes. The irony, Friedman said, is that in the case of far-off disasters, Americans are often the first to give help. She noted that following the earthquakes in Haiti, offers of aid were so numerous they had to be placed on a waiting list. "What about when the need is here?" she asked. "Any waiting lists in Detroit? We seem to be failing the very community that we live in. What kind of an example are we passing down to the next generation?" Friedman described the blue box in the house in which she grew up where coins "only for charity" were deposited. "Your ethical legacy is to give your children a sense of charity:' she said. Making A Difference "Cash is fine she says. "But there are also other ways to make a personal contribution to your community — to Detroit. Volunteerism is a grass- roots action. "I have been working since I was 14 years old. Making money is easy — making a difference takes a lot more work. And maybe that's why Get your ePaper subscription today by visiting djn.pressmart.com 22 Judith Doner Berne Special to the Jewish News "Detroit's problems belong to each of us." - Dr. Sonya Friedman there are so few people to do it." The December holidays, Friedman reminded, can be marked by depres- sion. "There's a very sure way to get people out of bed; they need to get up and do something for others. Go to a soup kitchen. Detroit's problems belong to each of us. "We can make life better for ourselves by making life better for others:' "You have a woman in your midst who should be one of the 'CNN Heroes," said Irva Faber- Friedman who used Bermudez to host the award- winning CNN program, "Sonya Live." She was referring to Irva Faber- Bermudez, president and chief exec- utive officer (CEO) of Detroit Central City, who was featured in a past issue of the Detroit Jewish News. For instance, Friedman noted, the national rate of recidivism for those serving jail time is 47 percent. For former prisoners in the DCC pro- gram, just 7 percent are locked up again. "You cannot imagine what she is saving the city of Detroit in terms of costs:' Friedman said. "Irva is amaz- ing. She's right in the trenches." "Today is the first day of Chanukah," Friedman told the group, giving a synopsis of the holiday's story. "I'm hoping that each of us can light a candle in this room today, carrying the flame to make Detroit more livable and to inspire our chil- dren and grandchildren."