metro

Making Miracles

Project Build! provides wheelchair accessibility for a Southfield home.

Marielle Temkin
Jewish News Intern

i a jp ackie Weiss, 50, of Southfield was

diagnosed with multiple sclero-
sis 15 years ago; now she has to
rely more and more on her wheelchair,
making her kitchen and two bathrooms
nearly impossible for her to navigate.
Unfortunately, Michigan's hard-hit econ-
omy meant that accessibility renovations
were not possible for her family.
Her husband, Mark, went to Jewish
Family Service (JFS) and explained
Weiss' condition to them and asked if
there was anything he could do to make
their home more accessible to her. JFS
directed him to a case manager who put
them in touch with Project Build!, a JFS
program. Through Project Build!, Weiss'
kitchen and two bathrooms underwent
$20,000 worth of "barrier-free" renova-
tions at no cost to the Weiss family.
"They moved so quickly," said Weiss.
"My husband first went to Project Build!
less than a year ago." Construction on
the renovations started on April 26 and
ended on May 25.
The man behind the construction
is Ron Jebwab, president of Lincorp
Construction in Southfield. He has been
on the board of Project Build! for three
years, but this is the first project he has
led. "Most of the time, I do construction
for people who want to improve their
home," Jebwab said. "But this project
meant a lot because it was for someone
who wasn't able to do what she needed!'
One bathroom had a doorway too
small for Weiss' wheelchair. "I was liter-
ally scraping by to get to the restroom,"
she said. The doorways were widened to
accommodate her chair, and the doors
were made to swing out instead of in.
"Ron thought of everything, even things I
had never considered."
Her kitchen was redone with lowered
countertops, a handicap-accessible
dishwasher, an extra-deep sink, a lazy
susan-style cupboard and an open space
beneath the sink so Weiss is able to pull
right up to the sink when doing the
dishes. "He even put the switch for the
garbage disposal beneath the sink:' she
said. "Turning on that switch was such a
long process for me, and now it's just as
easy as it used to be!'
Weiss was particularly pleased with
all of the choices she was allowed to
make — such as paint color, countertops,
cabinets, tiles, flooring — and she was

20

June 28 2012

A roll-in shower and wider doorway gives

Builder Ron Jedwab and Jackie Weiss in her new kitchen

Weiss more room in the bathroom.

After renovations, Jackie Weiss now can easily reach her stove.

grateful that her specific requests were
granted. "I really need a sink with two
sides because we keep kosher, so I need a
milk sink and a meat sink," she said, "and
Ron made it happen, even though it was
kind of a hassle.
"He is such a laid-back person; he
never says there is a problem, he just
handles it," Weiss said. "And anything
that I requested, he understood the
importance of what I wanted. He had a
complete eyes-we-can' attitude!'
Program coordinator for Project Build!,
Erin Lederman-Thackray, said, "I never
once heard about any problems from
Ron. He just did the work and did it with
class and patience?'
Lederman-Thackray worked closely
with both Weiss and Jebwab on this proj-
ect."Jackie is the perfect client for us:'

A special dishwasher gives Jackie Weiss accessibility.

she said. "There aren't a lot of resources
to help people like her. Often, when
people become disabled, they have to
move out of their house and into a place
that is accessible for them. Project Build!
allows them to stay in their house and
not uproot their family."
In addition to being able to stay put,
Weiss is again able to cook big dinners
for holidays and Shabbat. "Telling my
family that I couldn't have everyone over
for dinner would have been the worst
thing," she said.
Filling the role of wife, mother to her
six children and also grandmother is
very important to Weiss. "My youngest
son wanted to learn how to make an
omelet. Before Ron redid everything, I
wouldn't have been able to teach him
because I couldn't see into pots on the

stove:' Weiss said, "but I was able to be a
mom and help him learn because of this
wonderful program."

Project Build! is in need of more
builders, remodelers, tradesmen and
suppliers to donate their services.
If you are interested in learning
more, contact Erin Lederman at
(248) 592-3973 or Ilederman®
jfsdetroit.org . Learn more about
Project Build! at www.jfsdetroit.org/
volunteers/project-build. Sponsors
of Project Build! include the Jewish
Fund, Building Industry Association
of Southeastern Michigan and the
Home Depot Foundation.