jews d in the JFS Historical Highlights continued from page 37 1928 • The Jewish Social Service Bureau is incorporated to pro- mote “family welfare and welfare of children among the Jewish people of Detroit and environs.” 1930s • The first Homemaker Service Program in Michigan is started to serve children in homes with an ill or absent mother. One of the agency’s first buildings was on Second Avenue in Detroit. 1940s • The agency’s focus with children shifted to foster care and residential treatment of children, services to unmarried par- ents and adoptive couples. 1950s • Department of Services for the Aged is created; group home for teens started. 1960s Senior Director of Family Life and Wellness Erica Saum role plays as she leads an ASIST workshop on suicide awareness and prevention. The agency added family therapy. remains to be done, but we will not be stagnant.” The agency’s responsiveness is one of the things that attracted Debbie Feit of Farmington, who has been its communications manager for the past three years after a career in advertising. “This is the Debbie Feit first nonprofit I’ve worked for and making that transition has been very satisfying to me, even if my role is a small one. It has been fascinating to see just how much we do and have evolved over the years,” said Feit, 50. “You don’t have to be Jewish and if we can’t help you, we will refer you to someone who can.” That’s a message JFS, which helps some 14,000 people each year, works hard to deliver. “Oftentimes the perception is, ‘JFS isn’t for me. It’s for a poor person on the other side of town,’” said Ohren, 55, of Huntington Woods. “We are not just for some- one who is disenfranchised; we are there for people going through all sorts of problems or transitions or challenges. You can be the wealthi- est person in Detroit and still benefit from our services. Though we were founded to help people who didn’t have two nickels to rub together, that is simply a piece of what we do. We are there for peo- ple when they are going through something, and that in some ways is a well-kept secret.” LOVING SUPPORT Michele and Michael Colton of Franklin have each volunteered their time — and hearts — through JFS’ Mentor Connection. “I was a mentor to two young men,” said Michael, 63, whose own Michael and father died when Michele Colton Michael was just 11. “I think it’s essential, and it became personal for me. I have three sons of my own and it was a rewarding experience parenting them. All three are grown so I had that jones I had to feed.” He attended one of the teen’s bar mitzvah years ago and still keeps in touch with the young man, who is now in college. “We had lunch about nine months ago and he is blossoming,” he reported. Michele, 56, had a more chal- lenging time with her mentee, an independent-minded teen from Pontiac. “I saw her every few weeks for five years. Toward her later years, I was hoping to have a real impact, but, by the end, I was amazed that she graduated and was not pregnant,” she said. “She seemed to care about me, but she wanted to hang out with her friends, and I ended up being more of a support system to her grand- mother.” These days, Michele has befriended two senior citizens through JFS. She plays Scrabble weekly with a 92-year-old woman in hospice and takes a 77-year-old shopping each week and is in the continued on page 40 38 May 17 • 2018 jn • Beginning of group therapy • In response to the Detroit riots, the Housing Relocation Program is created to move Jewish families from the inner city to subsidized housing near Jewish facilities. • Volunteer services formally organized as an entity within the agency. 1970s JFS established group homes for the elderly. • Kosher Meals on Wheels is initiated with the NCJW and the Jewish Federation apartments. • JFS defines poverty as a continuing issue in the Jewish population and expands financial assistance services. • Staff undertakes training in family treatment and offers ser- vices that combine marital therapy, child-parent therapy and treatment of the complete family unit. • Group apartments for the elderly are established; the pro- gram offers congregate housing and support services. 1980s • In-home respite care started. • JFS establishes the Skillman Project to work with issues of neglect and physical and sexual abuse of children. 1990s • Endowment campaign to fund WINDOWS, the agency’s domestic violence prevention and treatment program (formerly Skillman); opening of kosher shelter called “Safe Place” in conjunction with NCJW; Reva Stocker lecture series begins. • Transportation starts with one vehicle and three drivers. • Resettlement of 7,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union. 2000s Resettlement of Soviet Jews was a major JFS project. • Creation of Project Chessed, providing access to medical care for uninsured Jewish adults. • Emergency financial assistance in the face of the economic downturn. • Gave group apartments for the elderly (Coville Apartments) to JSL. 2010s • Emergency assistance during the flood of 2014. • Focus on teen mental health; introduction of suicide preven- tion trainings. • Health care navigation. • Wellness offerings such as walking group, book club, guest speakers, diabetes management. Ongoing In 2014, JFS mobilized quickly to help those devastated by flooding. • Serving Holocaust survivors; in 2016, JFS received a grant that marked the first time in history that the U.S. federal government provided direct funding for survivor services. • Responsiveness to community needs.