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Pitch for Detroit to raise money for
CommunityNEXT's Live Detroit Fund.
Hannah Posen
Jewish News Intern
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24
August 25 s 2011
round Detroit and even across
the country, August has meant
one thing for next-generation
Jews: Do it for Detroit. As other groups
across Detroit offer young adults finan-
cial incentives to move to the city, the
Jewish community has started an initia-
tive of its own.
CommunityNEXT, an arm of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit focused on attracting and retain-
ing young talent in the region, has put
together Do it for Detroit, a month-long
campaign in August to raise money and
enthusiasm for the city.
So far, more than $30,000 has been
raised through the campaign, which
hosted events in New York, Chicago and
Los Angeles as well as events in Detroit.
The money will go to the Live Detroit
Fund (LDF), which will provide rent
subsidies for up to 25 "next- generation"
individuals. The subsidies will be in the
form of $250 a month per person for up
to one year, $3,000 annually. Recipients
of the LDF rent subsidy will be required
to host one substantial community event
a month that will strengthen the Jewish
and larger Detroit communities. The
campaign's goal is to raise $100,000.
"A dynamic urban core is essen-
tial if we are ever going to attract
and retain young talent at scale,"
said Jordan Wolfe, director of
CommunityNEXT. "The next-gens
are the ones who are going to lead the
charge and create a dynamic urban
environment for their peers. The LDF is
a way to get upwardly mobile individu-
als currently living across the Metro
area down to the city"
The campaign, which began with a
kickoff party at Groves High School in
Beverly Hills, included a bar night in
Chicago on Aug. 4, a kickball tourna-
ment in New York City on Aug. 14,
Dodgeball in the D, a dodgeball tourna-
ment on Belle Isle on Aug. 20, and Kick
for Detroit, a kickball tournament in
L.A. on Aug. 21.
The campaign's final event is Pitch for
Detroit on Sunday, Aug. 28, at Inglenook
Park in Southfield.
Pitch for Detroit is a spin-off of last
year's successful Pitch for Israel event,
which raised $50,000. This year, the
event, chaired by Adam Blanck and
Benjy Gordon, is aimed at bringing peo-
A Pitch for Israel team jumped with joy at the tournament last year.
At 2010 Pitch for Israel: Benjy Gordon, co-founder Pitch for Israel/Detroit; Jon
Labaschin, ELEM Midwest Regional Director; Jordan Wolfe, CommunityNEXT;
Adam Blanck, co-founder Pitch for Israel/Detroit; Yoav Raban, Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
ple together to drive enthusiasm around
rebuilding Detroit. The softball tourna-
ment is a family event with food, music,
games and, of course, softball. Blanck
and Gordon brought Pitch for Israel to
Detroit in 2010 after attending the event
in Toronto. Seeing the local event's suc-
cess last year, it was re-branded as Pitch
for Detroit in an effort to expand its
reach to the entire community.
The event continues to grow. Last
year, there were 14 teams and around
400 people at the event. This year, there
are 18 teams signed up, and Pitch for
Detroit expects more than 500 people to
join in the fun. Each team has a sponsor,
and there are sponsors for the registra-
tion tent, break tents, food and the base-
ball diamonds as well. Sponsors include
Hillel Day School, Friendship Circle,
Wallside Windows, WDIV-Local 4 and
New York Bagel, to name a few.
"I think its principal importance is
bringing the community together for
one day and reminding people what a
great, strong community we have, and
how powerful we can be when we all
come together behind a common cause;'
Gordon said. "I also think it's impor-
tant to engage young people, show them
that there are lots of 20- and 30-some-
things living here, and remind them
that it is our time to take ownership of
our community."
You Can Pitch For Detroit:
Pitch for Detroit: Registration
starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 28,
at Inglenook Park, 20901 W.12 Mile
Road, Southfield. To sign up, make
a donation or become a sponsor,
go to www.pitchfordetroit.com or
www.doitfordetroit.com . To donate
by mail, make checks payable to
CommunityNEXT, attention Pitch
For Detroit, 6735 Telegraph Road,
Suite 100, Bloomfield Hills, MI
48301.
Players can sign up on the day of
the event.