frontlines

Ari's
Mitzvah

I

TA **ACK

Jackie Headapohl

Managing Editor

W

hen seventh-grader Ari
Cohen started to think
about what kind of a mitz-
vah project he wanted to undertake as
part of his January 2013 bar mitzvah
ceremony at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, he was certain about one thing:
He did not want to simply take credit
for what he was already doing to help
others, such as participating in Relay
for Life or volunteering at Friendship
Circle with two special needs kids.
"I like spending time with those
kids:' he told his mom, Nita Cohen. She
and husband Allan, as well as 16-year-
old sister Annie, live in Birmingham. "I
need to do something more'
Nita had named Ari after Alexandra
"Alex" Graham, a longtime friend of
hers who she had grown up with and
had once babysat. Alex lost her battle
with bone cancer at age 17, shortly
before Ari was born. She is well known
for the public service announcement
that was her Make-A-Wish project in
which she simply asks that "the next
time you see a kid with cancer, try a
smile — we could use it:'
For his mitzvah project, Ari wanted
to honor Alex by bringing some smiles
to kids who are facing adversity. He
decided to organize a toy drive at Derby
Middle School, the proceeds of which
were recently donated to the pediatric

Kathy Grobbel and An Cohen at the Children's Miracle Network Garden in
Beaumont Hospital

oncology center at Beaumont Hospital
in Royal Oak where Alex had been in
treatment.
The project had additional meaning
for Ari, who has lost several relatives to
cancer: his aunt, Heidi Wheeler, who
died from breast cancer this summer,
and his maternal grandfather, Gerald
Perlman, whom Ari never had the
chance to know.
"Cancer has affected my life in a lot
of ways. I was very close to my aunt.
After she died, I knew I wanted to do
something for those with cancer. And I
thought how tough it must be for kids
with cancer. I wanted to do something
to take their minds off it," Ari said.
His mom added: "Ari was very deter-
mined. He went to his principal, who
offered her support for the toy drive but
told him it was on him to do the work:'
The family called Beaumont to see
what was needed. Next, Ari made flyers
and posters to promote the two-week
toy drive.
"The Derby community was fantasti-
cally generous:' said Nita. "The two

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collection boxes that were placed in
Derby's main lobby had to be emptied
several times with nearly 300 items col-
lected in the end:'
Beaumont Child Life Specialist Kathy
Grobbel coordinated the donation at
her end. Coincidentally, Grobbel was
also at the hospital when Alex was a
fixture around the pediatric oncology
wing at Beaumont and had many fond
memories of her. She gave Ari a tour
of the unit, including the Children's
Miracle Network Garden, where ill
children can play, learn and engage in
special projects.
Ari said the project taught him "how
important it is to think about others
and not so much about yourself'
Nita said she was recently talking
with Alex's mother, Susie Graham, who
asked when Ari would be making his
bar mitzvah. "I told her Jan. 19:' said
Nita. "And she replied that Jan. 19 was
also Alex's yahrzeit.
"I had no idea of that when I planned
Ari's bar mitzvah. It feels like full cir-
cle Nita added.

❑

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Jennifer and Russ Gordon

attended Tamarack camps as kids.
They each worked at Tamarack,
and met there. A few years later,
when their daughter, Hannah was
old enough to go off to camp herself,
Jennifer said, "There wasn't even a
question. We didn't think about
Hannah going anywhere other than
Tamarack. The thing is, camp is a
large up-front expense."
Jennifer had used Hebrew Free
Loan in the past to help with college
expenses, so the Gordons approached
the agency to help with Hannah's
camp fees.
"Large expenses like camp fees
are easier to manage when they're
spread out, which HFL allows us to
do," said Russ. It allows us to say
yes to something we all think is
beneficial, and still maintain our
budget."
For her part, Hannah says she
really enjoyed camp, especially the
horseback riding, arts and crafts,
and making friends.
"This is about making experiences
possible for Hannah, and for Noah
when he's ready," Russ said. "It really
is that simple. It's a benefit within
the community, and why not use it?"

Click. Call. Give Now.
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248.723.8184

Nov. 22-28, 2012 I 8-14 Kislev 5773 I Vol. CXLII, No. 16

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