Host Your Next Event With
celebrate
The Jewish Community Center
in West Bloomfield
a guide to simchahs
2g, "■3 ■ 3
continued from page C22
THE CENTER
From Bar/Bat Mitzvahs to
Wedding or Baby Showers, we can do it all!
Whether you're hosting a
wedding or just a small gathering
with friends, we have the perfect space
to accommodate your group.
Believe it or not, we have already hosted
more than 60 Simchas this year at the JCC in
Handleman Hall
Prentice Wagner Teen Center
Greenberg Suite
Charach Gallery
The possibilities are endless!
Pat Blackwell makes sure the ice cream cart is ready to go.
even in families where fathers
play an active role with the chil-
dren, party planning is almost
always the mother's domain, she
says.
They go through the event step
by step, with Blackwell asking
questions from her long checklist.
Even very organized moms don't
think of everything, she says.
Before the party, Blackwell
loads up her car with supplies and
makes sure everything gets set up
at the site.
"My record is 32 trips," she
said. "The mom had created
elaborate basketball-themed
centerpieces in her basement for
a bar mitzvah at Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills. I
could only take one at a time in
my car.
"Instead of running back and
forth, the mom had that time to
visit with her out-of-town com-
pany."
Each Red Coat Ladies lead
worker carries a suitcase of sup-
plies to handle emergencies:
needles and thread, glue, static
guard spray, scissors — even a
steamer to take care of wrinkled
clothing.
They also carry an extra uniform
for themselves. At one wedding,
a groomsman split his pants as
Theresa L. Thompson
Events Manager
tthompson@jccdet.org
(248) 432-5536
6600 W. Maple Rd, West Bloomfield, MI 48322
www.jccdet.org-Private Events-West Bloomfield
1903870
C 2 4
celebrate! I March 2014
he was lifting the bridal chair for
the hora. Duct tape didn't work.
Blackwell is tall, so she got her
extra pants — and they fit the
guest well enough.
After the party, the Red Coat
Ladies pack up everything that
needs to go home with the family.
At weddings, they make sure the
bride and groom have whatever
they want in their limo and hotel
room.
The company now handles
about 180 b'nai mitzvah parties
a year and almost as many wed-
dings.
The Red Coat Ladies have
worked at more than 200 venues,
from the Adoba Hotel in Dearborn
to the Zap Zone in Farmington
Hills. Prices vary, depending on
how many Red Coat Ladies are
needed and for how long; pack-
ages start at $750.
Most parties have two Red
Coat Ladies on hand. The most
Blackwell has had at one event
is six. It was a "magical mystery
tour" party; she needed one chap-
erone on each of the three buses
and one at each site the buses
visited.
Detailed information about the
company's services is available
at the company's website, www.
partyassurance.com .