Rain Or Shine Poor weather didn't dampen spirits at this years JARC SpringElation. S pringElation, JARC's 13th annual family fund- raiser, was a hit in spite of the frigid tempera- tures and rain on May 26. More than 900 JARC supporters attended the private after-hours family event at the Detroit Zoo. This yearly event is a major source of private funding for JARC's Merle and Shirley Harris Children and Family Division that serves more than 450 families with chil- dren with disabilities. Lauren Bienenstock and Adam Cohen served as the 2011 SpringElation co-chairs. Guests were treated to a picnic dinner by Matt Prentice Restaurant Group and music and dancing by Star Trax. Children and their families were encouraged to find hidden clues throughout the zoo for prizes while enjoying the wildlife exhibits, docent tours, the Tauber Family Railroad and Polar Bear Feedings. "JARC supporters are troopers," said JARC's CEO Rick Loewenstein. "Sure, it was cold and wet; but that didn't stop hundreds from enjoying this great family event and it certainly didn't stop the Detroit Zoo's residents from showing off that night." More than 100 volunteers donated their time to help ensure SpringElation's success. Several organizations provided employees who donated their time, including Bienenstock Court Reporting & Video and Fifth Third Bank as well as many teen volunteers from BBYO and Adat Shalom Synagogue. "We are indebted to our generous volunteers and sponsors, including Fifth Third Bank, Gilbert Films, Bienenstock, Quicken Loans and Title Source," said Loewenstein. "With sponsorships and ticket sales com- bined, we can proudly say we topped last year's numbers and are thrilled we can continue to support hundreds of children with disabilities as well as their families." I 1 WINGO! Above Left: (back row) Diane and Keith Starr of Oak Park, Stacey Salzberg and Mark Goodman, both of Farmington Hills; (seated) Richard Gilmore of Farmington Hills and Tai'Escia Canady of Inkster Above Right: SpringElation co-chairs Adam Cohen of Huntington Woods and Lauren Bienenstock of Bingham Farms with JARC CEO Rick Loewenstein of West Bloomfield Aviva and Akiva Elchonen of Southfield and Jake Fishkind of West Bloomfield and Jake, Eli, Scott and Jessica Goodwin of Southfield Beth Rubin of West Bloomfield Julie Hirsch, ORT supporters Robyn Dwoskin, Zarine Torrey enjoy an evening of Bingo white and Paula Lynn, all of West raising money for education, Bloomfield, and Liz Rosen 0 RT Michigan's WINGO event held on May 18 brought together nearly 300 attendees for a night of women's-only Bingo to raise more than $40,000 for ORT's global network of schools and programs. Women gathered at Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield and enjoyed an exciting evening that included 10 rounds of Bingo, in addition to raffles, a silent auction and dinner. The theme of this year's event was "WINGO Provides a Window of OppORTunities." Hansons Windows served as the pre- senting sponsor. The room was filled with windows from Hansons, decorated with flowers by the WINGO planning com- mittee as well as Gerber daisies for centerpieces donat- ed by Coden Flowers. Joe Cornell provided a DJ and music and Tony Gorkiewicz of TONE-e FILMS pro- vided video services. Jeff Dwoskin of West Bloomfield served as the BINGO caller. Halle Saperstein and Sylvia Wolf, both of West Bloomfield, and Carol Kellman of Bloomfield Hills served as this year's event co-chairs. For more information on ORT or upcoming events, call (248) 723-8860 or visit www.ortmichigan.org . 1 of Farmington Hills 7 Rebecca Schlussel Jasgur of West Bloomfield, Co-chairs Carol Kellman of Bloomfield Hills, Sylvia Wolf Dana Jaffe of Oak Park and Jennifer Arkin of West and Halle Saperstein, both of West Bloomfield Bloomfield june 16 . ) 1 19