views essay www.hinderliterhearing.com Better Hearing for Better Living Refl ections On #ActNowHouston I 400 off $ Premium Technology Batteries Included Call Today for a Free Hearing Screening! Where patients experience compassionate care and affordable solutions for their hearing needs Our eyes were opened to how tragic these natural disasters are and how much we can do to help. Kristin Hinderliter, Au.D. 751 CHESTNUT, SUITE 205 UÊ BIRMINGHAM U 248.430.8425 2018 Audi Q5 2.0T Quattro Premium Special Lease $ 489 mo* 36 mo. $3,984 due at signing lease Magna Society Audi Sylvania 5570 Monroe St. | Sylvania, OH www.sylvaniaaudi.com *Based on MSRP of $45,325 (incluiding destination charges. $3,984 due at signing, plus taxes, title, options & dealer charges. $0 security deposit. For qualified customers who lease through AFS. Lessee responsible for 25¢/mi. over 30,000 miles. Subject to credit approval. See Audi Sylvania for complete details. Offer expires 7/2/18. Glassman Genesis Valet Service Jeff Stewart Assistant New Car Sales Manager Serving the Community Since 1969 248-636-2736 Complimentary Maintenance Serving Our Community For Over 45 Years! Max Feber is a Repair the World Detroit alumni, sophomore at Babson College, CEO of BRUW and a social justice advocate. 5FMFHSBQI3Et4PVUIýFMEt XXXHMBTTNBOHFOFTJTDPN 10 June 14 • 2018 jn Max Feber got involved with Repair the World through the PeerCorps pro- gram when I was only a sophomore in high school. Since then, I’ve volunteered dozens of times with RTW and have worked hard to help bridge the gap between the city and the suburbs. The work was always very hard. Whether we were building an ice rink, farming at one of the urban gardens or painting a mural, we always left feeling tired and rewarded. Tired after a long day’s work, I would go home, eat dinner and crawl right into bed. I learned a lot on the most recent experience I’ve had with Repair the World. With six other PeerCorps alumni and our leader, Rachel Fine, we traveled to Houston, Texas, to help in the post-Harvey rebuilding process. On our trip to Houston, we saw firsthand how quickly that warm bed can be taken away and how challenging it is for so many to rebuild their lives after a natural disaster. The trip started with a tour of Houston’s Jewish community. We started in the Federation building with a long discussion about what the culture of the city was like in the days after the storm. We saw photos of people canoeing down their street to save their neighbors, homes destroyed and a video of 10 feet of water flood- ing their JCC. It was shocking and hard to watch, but hearing the story of the JCC turn- ing into a distribution center for sup- plies and seeing the community come together to rebuild was uplifting. We worked with an amazing organization, Undies for Everyone, to pack children’s underwear to be donated to victims of the storm or those experiencing pov- erty in the greater Houston area. We then started on our first labor- intensive service project, clearing someone’s backyard from the stuff they had cleared out of their house follow- ing the flooding. We were sifting through years of a family’s life and stuffing it into Hefty bags to be taken away. This was an overall theme throughout the weekend; it wasn’t just homes that were destroyed but family photos, wedding dress- es and people’s most precious memories. It was devastating to see and truly set the scene for what type of work we would be doing that weekend. After Shabbat dinner and incredible pecan pie (like un-freaking- believable), we fell asleep and got up the next day to start some of the hardest work we had done. We were sanding walls, cutting drywall, re-cutting drywall because we did it wrong the first time and learning more each minute about Houston’s situation. We did the same the next day. We left Houston with a deep understanding of the tragedy of Hurricane Harvey and a profound respect for the volunteers who were giving up months — or even years — of their time to help recreate the city that Houston was 12 months ago. On our flight back to Detroit, we couldn’t help but think of how lucky we are to have a community that supports us and how much is left to do in Houston. Our eyes were opened to how tragic these natural disasters are and how much we can do to help. The Jewish presence in the rebuilding of Houston is incredibly inspiring, and we are so proud to be part of that process. Working with Repair the World gave me a completely new perspective on what can be done to help those in need, and I’m incredibly con- fident that we’ll all be back on the ground soon helping those in need. • 2168010