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ANDREA STINSON – STILLS BY STINSON
Upholding its tradition of celebrating the Detroit Jewish community’s
exceptional activists, the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC
presented its 2017 Activist Award to Jeannie Weiner at a special event in
her honor at Adat Shalom Synagogue.
A tireless advocate for social justice, religious freedom and interfaith
outreach and understanding, Jeannie Weiner has demonstrated her
activism as a leader both locally and nationally in the movement to free
Soviet Jews, as an outspoken advocate for Israel, and through her
dedication to community relations and her hands-on efforts to build
relationships with Detroit’s many ethnic and religious communities.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was the evening’s featured speaker, and
Diane Klein and Matt Lester served as honorary co-chairs for the event.
Created in 2001, the JCRC/AJC Activist Award is given annually to
individuals who are passionate about the Detroit Jewish community and
work to secure the Jewish future by championing Israel’s cause, reaching
out to our diverse neighbors or advocating for Jewish interests. •
places
Philanthropy runs in the Birndorf family. Adam Birndorf, son of Higher
Hopes! founder Bill Birndorf, and his intern partners Emily Gucwa and
Nicholas Litton at Gale, a Cengage Company, put on an event for 50
Detroit children who participated in a summer reading program at the
Detroit Public Library. Employees at Gale assembled brand new bicycles
and awarded each one of the 50 kids who completed the summer read-
ing program one, along with a helmet, bike lock, backpack and a copy
of both Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
The kids were transported from four separate Detroit Public Library
branches to the Gale office in Farmington Hills, where they were sur-
prised with their new bikes, backpacks and books. There was an ice
cream truck, a DJ, face painting and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence
was on hand as well.
“The best part of this whole event was seeing the smiles on the kids’
faces when they saw that they were getting their own brand-new bike!”
Birndorf said. •
JCRC/AJC
President Alicia B.
Chandler, Mayor
Mike Duggan,
Activist Honoree
Jeannie Weiner
and Executive
Director David
Kurzmann
Gale employees patiently wait for the kids to arrive.
The
Weiner
family
Brenda Lawrence gives an
inspirational speech.
Featured speaker Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
addresses the audience.
Rev. Dr. Mark Jensen presents the JCRC/AJC
2017 Activist Award to Jeannie Weiner.
Activist Event Honorary Co-Chairs Matt Lester
and Diane Klein flank honoree Jeannie Weiner.
Jeannie Weiner’s son Joel Jackson, Jeannie,
Rabbi E.B. “Bunny” Freedman and Florine Mark
28
August 31 • 2017
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Gale employees build the bikes.
Four summer readers show off their new wheels.