16 | MAY 14 • 2020
TOP: David Paull’
s Take Steps team that raises funds for the Michigan Chapter of the Crohn’
s & Colitis Foundation.
LEFT: A Lighthouse volunteer packs and sorts food.
need for Lighthouse to ramp up its emergency
food distribution efforts and find alternatives
to its rotating shelter, which moves from var-
ious religious congregations
each week. The nonprofit
launched a crowdfunding
campaign on its platform,
HandUp, and raised more
than $1 million toward a $1.5
million goal in less than eight
weeks.
“The community’
s response
has been absolutely beautiful,
”
Hertz said. “For us, profit is
social impact. The fact that
we’
ve been able to serve so
many more people safely and
successfully speaks to the gen-
erosity and compassion of our
community.
”
As a result of the pandemic,
Lighthouse went from serving
10,000 people a year to 5,000 a week. The
organization continues to fundraise to meet
the ongoing need. A 12-hour live streaming
concert called Lighthouse LIVE, featuring
performances from more than 50 Michigan
musicians and entertainers, including Alice
Cooper and Lily Tomlin, took place May 9.
Ryan’
s father, entertainment attorney Howard
Hertz, helped organize the online event.
Yad Ezra, Michigan’
s only kosher food
pantry, switched to deliveries only and is now
providing approximately 1,100 deliveries a
month. Two grants from the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit helped get the organi-
zation through Passover. A virtual magic show
took place May 3 supported by a long list of
sponsors. The next major hurdle is Yad Ezra’
s
annual dinner, which raises $600,000 a year.
It’
s scheduled for Sept. 30.
“We don’
t know if we’
ll be able to raise the
money,
” said Yad Ezra’
s
executive director Lea Luger.
“But I’
m confident that the
community recognizes and
respects the work we do and
won’
t let us run out of food.
I have faith in the Jewish
community. They’
ve been
on this journey with us for
30 years.
”
WALKING THE WALK
“We’
re struggling,
” said
David Paull, board president
of the Michigan Chapter
of the Crohn’
s & Colitis
Foundation (CCF).
The organization sup-
ports more than 100,000
Michigan patients annually and raises aware-
ness and critical research dollars for Crohn’
s
disease and ulcerative colitis. The chapter’
s
spring fashion event at the Townsend Hotel
has been pushed to August. The annual Take
Steps Walk in June is cancelled nationwide
and will now be held virtually.
“We are coming in significantly below our
projected budget,
” Paull explained. “It’
s tough
to ask people for money right now.
”
He says his Take Steps team, which has been
steadily growing since 2015, usually raises
$15,000-$20,000 each year. Right now, they’
re
at $2,000.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit is feeling it, too. Forty-five employees
were furloughed as a result of the crisis, and a
COVID-19 emergency task force was formed.
The task force is being led by incoming
Federation president Matt Lester and Dennis
Bernard, president-elect of the United Jewish
Foundation.
An emergency campaign was also launched
to meet the needs of the community and
Federation’
s agencies. It raised more than $7
million in four weeks.
“It’
s been a heavy lift,
” Lester said. “But it’
s
probably the finest example I’
ve seen of peo-
ple coming together completely selflessly on
behalf of the community and making a differ-
ence. We’
ve had the strongest response in the
country in terms of the emergency campaign.
People were eager to help, and they still are.
”
Lester acknowledged that much of the hard
work is still ahead as this public health and
economic crisis continues, but he commended
Federation’
s partner agencies, including the
Jewish Community Center, Jewish Senior Life,
Tamarack and the day schools, for initiating
their own self-help programs. He also praised
Federation’
s staff for its exceptional capabilities
during this tumultuous time.
“The rise to the occasion mentality among
staff, agency professionals and lay leader-
ship is unprecedented, and I’
ve never seen
anything like it,” he said. “It makes me very
proud to be Jewish and a member of the
Detroit Jewish community. This could be our
finest moment.”
continued from page 14
You Can Help
● Federation:
jewishdetroit.org
● Lighthouse:
lighthousemi.org/covid19
● Michigan Jewish Sports
Foundation:
michiganjewishsports.org
● Yad Ezra: yadezra.org
● Crohn’
s & Colitis
Foundation:
crohnscolitisfoundation.org/
chapters/Michigan
COURTESY OF LIGHTHOUSE
COURTESY OF DAVID PAULL
Jews in the D