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in
the

What Is
Your Plan?.....
Call Us.

ABOVE: Sarah Allyn
volunteers at Eden
Gardens.
LEFT: Fellows Aaron
Cahen, Leila Ballard,
Brandi Hunter,
Veronica Gonzales,
Staci Rosen and
Noah Betman.

continued from page 24

ducting a spring cleaning of the
grounds.

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26

August 2 • 2018

jn

Founded in 2009, Repair the World
has a presence in Detroit, Chicago,
New York, Miami, Baltimore,
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Each
year, a new group of fellows sign
on for a year of service in Detroit.
Noah Betman, 23, of Southwest
Detroit, is in this year’s outgoing
class.
“The opportunity to work closely
with members of the local commu-
nity was transformational for me,”
Betman says. He graduated from
the University of Michigan last year
and plans to pursue a master’s
degree in public affairs at Indiana
University this fall.
“Serving as an English as a sec-
ond language tutor for an adult
learner in a primarily Spanish-
speaking area further showed me
the critical nature of literacy,” he
added. “Exploring Detroit has been
another takeaway. I grew up in
West Bloomfield and went to col-
lege in Ann Arbor, so Detroit has
always been in my backyard, but
this year I learned an incredible
amount about the city.”

The fellows, who started with
Repair the World last August,
accomplished a lot in a year. Allyn
says they engaged more than 2,000
volunteers in service learning.
What stands out the most?
“The importance of build-
ing relationships,” Betman says.
“Volunteering anywhere once is
beneficial, but it means so much
more when you continue to build
that relationship by going again or
inviting someone to an event you
think they might enjoy.”
A new crop of six fellows is set to
start in Detroit this August (inter-
views are taking place now.) Those
who are selected will be partnering
with Jewish and non-Jewish organi-
zations to help recruit volunteers.
Allyn is looking forward to a new
year of lessons learned while mak-
ing an impact.
“I want people to know that
service and learning is more than
a day here and there — it’s really
a commitment to tikkun olam, to
making our world a better place,”
she said. “Not just for our commu-
nity, but for communities around
us.” •

To learn more about Repair the World or to
get involved, visit werepair.org/Detroit.

