metro

XFINITY® HOME

SECURITY • CONTROL • ENERGY

You can't always
be at home — but
you never have to
be far from it.

• Look after your
home, family and
valuables from
anywhere.

• Get peace of mind
with a secure
network and
24/7 professional
monitoring.

• Arm and disarm your
system on the go.

• Even get remote
video monitoring
and real-time text
and email alerts, so
you know that your
kids got home safely.

Hail To U-M Hillel

Detroit-area Jewish alums sought as
career mentors for current students.

Davey Rosen and
Leah Sternberg

T

he University of Michigan
Hillel is launching its Hillel
Professional Network, a men-
torship program connecting U-M
students with the Jewish community of
Metro Detroit.
Joining U-M Hillel in this endeavor
is CommunityNEXT of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
The first step is to recruit U-M
alumni who are living and working in
Metro Detroit to act as mentors for the
yearlong program. These alumni can be
professionals from almost any industry
who can set an example for current stu-
dents in terms of combining Jewish life
with their professional goals.
The initiative looks to form indi-
vidual learning and networking rela-
tionships between students and alumni
within the students' career pathways.
The initiative has the potential to
lead students to view Metro Detroit as
a desirable place to live, work and play
beyond college.
Senior Josh Belinky of Atlanta,
student coordinator for the Hillel
Professional Network, envisions the
mentorship program as a necessary
addition to Hillel's programming.
"With Michigan Hillel's emphasis on
cultivating community:' Belinky says,
"it's time to utilize this network to con-
nect students to alumni for a stronger
Jewish community!"

Brainstorming between Hillel staff
and students revealed that Hillel could
do more to address the needs and
interests of students. A grant pro-
posal was written to advance Michigan
Hillel as a Center for Reimagining
Engagement through Art, Technology
& Entrepreneurship (CREATE) for
Jewish students and their friends. An
anonymous grant came through.
Inspired by CREATE, Michigan
Hillel has taken steps to design a more
innovative and advanced environment
with the purpose of supporting student
development in the Hillel building, on
campus and in Southeast Michigan. Out
of this brainstorming process came the
Hillel Professional Network.
Hillel is seeking alumni who use
the experiences, resources and values
they gained as U-M students and have
adapted them to their lives beyond the
U-M Diag and 1429 Hill St.
This is an opportunity for Michigan
Hillel students and alumni to grow as a
community. It will enhance the experi-
ence of Jewish students at U-M and
provide alumni the opportunity to give
back to their campus Jewish community
in a meaningful and impactful way.
Interested U-M alumni can contact
contact Leah Sternberg at lhstern@
umich.edu.

❑

Davey Rosen is assistant director at U-M

Hillel. Senior Leah Sternberg of West

Bloomfield is Detroit alumni coordinator at

Michigan HilleL

Pitch For Detroit Coming To Belle Isle

comcast.com/XFINITYHome
1-800-XFINITY

4inity

COMCAST

the future of awesome"

Not available in all areas. Remote video and fire
monitoring requires purchase of additional equipment.
Remote access not available with all smartphones.
License #: MI 3601206217. Call for restrictions
and complete details, or visit www.comcast.com/
xfinityhome. ©2013 Comcast. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.

14 August 8 • 2013

II"

Sunday, Aug. 25, Pitch For Detroit is
celebrating its fourth anniversary with
a move to Belle Isle. This annual char-
ity softball tournament is a program of
CommunityNEXT, a part of Federation's
NEXTGen Detroit.
Pitch For Detroit is a social fun-
draiser that benefits the Do It For
Detroit Fund (Di4D), a program of
NEXTGen Detroit and Repair the
World. This year, Di4D will sponsor a
series of volunteer opportunities for
young adults by providing funding
and hands-on involvement with orga-
nizations that are on the cutting-edge
of both social change and reimagining
Detroit.
What started as Pitch For Israel
four years ago by two 20-somethings,
Adam Blanck and Benjy Gordon, has
morphed into a heartbeat for Jewish
Detroit and the broader community.
Seeing the need to start at home and

help rally Detroit, Pitch For Detroit
was born. Adam and Benjy's involve-
ment is a testament that young adult
activism is alive and well in our city,
so it is only fitting that this year's
event was moved to Belle Isle.
Pitch For Detroit is an all-day event
suitable for all ages. Live music, food,
bouncy houses and more. Bring your
family and friends and join in the fun.
The deadline to register to play is
Aug. 18. For more information about
Pitch For Detroit or to donate, go to
www.pitchfordetroit.com.

❑

Hip Clothiers
To Open Store
In Royal Oak

F

reedom You Now Know, also
known as FyouNK (pro-
nounced "funk"), Clothing
will open an apparel and artwork con-
sortium Aug. 10. in downtown Royal
Oak. The store will carry the brand's
apparel, artwork
and premium
glassware as well
as feature exhibits
of work by local
artists, partially
through a part-
nership with
Motor City
Art Machine
(MCAM), a collaborative network of
Detroit artists.
The store is the culmination of
nearly three years of concert and
festival vending, establishing both
a solid brand following and a stable
consumer base through e-commerce.
FyouNK Clothing, operated by
brothers Jared Berman of Detroit
and Evan Berman of Farmington
Hills, began doing business in 2011
at Detroit's Movement Electronic
Musical Festival. Designer Evan and
his younger brother Jared, a finance
major at Michigan State University at
the time, were exposed to the rising
electronic music and underground
arts scene and recognized a business
opportunity.
"Seeing other businesses flourish in
this ever-expanding genre and culture
gave us that drive to get involved in it
ourselves:' Evan said. "At that point, it
ceased to be a personal hobby — I felt
like my artwork could contribute to
that culture, grow that culture and be
representative of that culture!'
In fall 2012, they partnered with
Grassroots Clothing, now based in
Denver, to release a line of headwear
designed exclusively by FyouNK. As
the sales volume from their online
business started to outpace their sales
from vending, the brothers decided it
was time to open a permanent store-
front.
The store will carry FyouNK's own
line of men's and women's apparel,
with upper-wear ranging from
T-shirts to tanks, crop tops and hats
as well as a large selection of pre-
mium glassware.
Grand opening hours Aug. 10 are
from noon-10 p.m. at 327 E. 4th St.,
Royal Oak. For more info, call (248)
602-FUNK (3865) or go to www.
FyouNK.com .

❑