OCTOBER 31 • 2019 | 31

Detroit Is The New Black 
and StockX. I also love rep-
ping local entrepreneurs that 
have some of the coolest 
brands in town. I’
m also a big 
fan of Shinola, and I never 
leave the house without rock-
ing my Shinola watch!

Q: You frequently chat with 
Detroit business owners 
and personalities. Is there 
a particular experience or 
tour that stands out?
Every tour is my favor-
ite tour. I leave the office 
every day with a smile 
on my face, feeling like I 
made an impact in at least 
one person’
s life. However, 
with that being said, there 
are a few experiences that 
have really stuck out to me. 
Most recently was a day I 
spent with Joique Bell, a 
former NFL player, and the 
Ypsilanti Grizzlies JV and 
varsity football teams. My 
team and I arranged to bring 
the players to Ford Field to 
hear a motivational speech 
from Joique. The kids left 
with smiles on their faces 
and some of them were even 
saying that it was the best 
day of their lives.
Another tour I hold dear 
to my heart is my tour with 
Aretha Franklin. The tour 
sparked a lifelong friend-
ship with Aretha that I will 
forever be grateful for. To 
this day, I am still in con-
tact with her family. 

Q: Why is it important 
for you and your family 
to stay connected with the 
Jewish community?
It’
s important especial-
ly because of the cultural 
aspects. Between Temple 
Beth El and being a current 
member at Temple Israel, I 

value the customs that we 
have and especially love 
the sense of community we 
share with one another. The 
way the community comes 
together really helps to 
remind me of how beautiful 
Judaism is.
I want my children to 
grow up knowing what it 
means to be Jewish, and 
I want them to know the 
significance of our culture. 
Also, did I mention that we 
have amazing food?

Q: What can people expect 
from a Detroit tour with 
you, and how can we sign 
up?
People who tour Detroit 
with me and my team 
should expect to have their 
minds blown and know 
they will not be able explain 
in words what they saw. I 
invite everyone to come see 
what I’
m talking about. You 
can sign up for a tour at 
detroitbruce.com. 

On Friday, Nov. 1, the Crohn’
s 
and Colitis Foundation 
will hold its 42nd annual 
“Evening of Hope.” The vin-
tage Vegas-themed event will 
be at the MGM Grand in 
Downtown Detroit. 
The event will begin at 6 
p.m. and includes a seated 
dinner and more. At 8:30 
p.m., the program will begin, 
including the awards pre-
sentation to former Rep. 
Sander Levin (Chairman’
s 
Award) and Dr. Souheil 
Gebara (Rosenthal Lifetime 
Achievement Award). In 
addition, an IBD patient will 
share compelling testimoni-
al, offering perspective and 
inspiration. 

The evening will feature 
a cocktail reception with 
strolling magic tricks from 
Jasen Magic, silent auction 
packages, live music from 
the sounds of Mark Randisi 
and the Motor City Horns, 
evening dinner program, live 
auction and awards followed 
by an after-party with danc-
ing. 
In Michigan, more than 
100,000 people live with 
Crohn’
s disease and ulcer-
ative colitis. 
For details about spon-
sorship and tickets, visit 
HopeForIBD.givesmart.
com or call Laura Marschner, 
development director, at 
(248) 737-0900, ext 4. 

Crohn’
s/Colitis Foundation Fundraiser

The JCC received a $15,000 
grant for the third year to 
support its Opening the 
Doors’
 (OTD) Doors to 
the Future (DTF) project. 
The grant, from the Jewish 
Women’
s Foundation (JWF), 
will support OTD’
s work 
providing early intervention 
for at-risk preschool chil-
dren — both girls and boys 
ages 2.5 to 6 years — through 
temporary 1-to-1 assistance 
by trained para-educators at 
no additional cost to families. 
 
 Para-educators help 
strengthen children’
s learn-
ing, communication and 
social skills, foster growth 
and change in behavior, 
increase independence, build 
self-confidence, and enable 
children to be included and 
interact successfully with 
their peers. DTF service also 
provides a gateway for fami-

lies to become more involved 
with Jewish schools, com-
munity resources and other 
families.
JCC’
s OTD program, 
nationally recognized for 
its innovation by Slingshot 
Foundation as “a one-of-a-
kind” program, has grown 
400 percent in providing ser-
vice since 1995. OTD annu-
ally enables 1,200 children 
and adolescents with a wide 
range of learning, social and 
behavioral differences and 
abilities to be included and 
engaged with their peers in 
meaningful Jewish education 
classrooms. OTD works in 
partnership with 24 Jewish 
early childhood, day school 
and congregational religious 
schools, as well as mental 
health organizations to pro-
vide conferences and movie 
events. 

Opening the Doors Gets Grant