20 | AUGUST 12 • 2021
J
VS Human Services
and Kadima, both
nonprofits who serve
vulnerable communities in
Metro Detroit, announced
they will move forward
with a merger expected to
be operational in 2022. The
boards of directors of JVS
Human Services and Kadima
voted Aug. 2 to unite the
organizations. JVS is a part-
ner agency of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, the central fund-
raising and planning organi-
zation of the Detroit Jewish
community.
JVS provides social services
and vocational programs,
including services for people
with developmental disabili-
ties. Kadima provides behav-
ioral health services, includ-
ing supportive housing, for
adults with mental health
challenges. The decision was
made to create a new single
organization, yet unnamed,
to provide a broader continu-
um of care, more robust and
higher quality programs, and
overall better outcomes for
individuals with disabilities.
Unemployment can be as
high as 80% for individuals
with severe and persistent
mental illness. Between JVS
Human Services and Kadima,
approximately 1,000 people
with a diagnosed mental ill-
ness will be served in areas
of vocational, residential and
clinical services at the time of
the merger.
Paul J. Blatt,
current JVS pres-
ident and chief
executive officer,
will continue in
that role to lead
the new organi-
zation. Aubrey Macfarlane,
JVS executive vice president
and chief operating offi-
cer, will also remain in her
role after the merger. Eric
Adelman, Kadima executive
director, will be the execu-
tive vice president and chief
advancement
officer of the
new organiza-
tion.
“From the
outset, we were
eager to see if a
combined orga-
nization would
be better posi-
tioned to posi-
tively impact the
lives of people in
our community,”
said Blatt.
“Through an
in-depth due diligence pro-
cess, we were able to demon-
strate that the new organi-
zation will be able to offer a
more expansive continuum
of services, yielding stronger
outcomes for the people we
serve. This is an exciting time
for JVS, Kadima and our
communities.”
Through shared operation-
al and administrative savings,
the new organization will
reinvest funds into programs
OUR COMMUNITY
Expected to be operational in early
2022, new name being explored.
JVS Human Services and
Kadima Announce Merger
Aubrey
Macfarlane
Paul Blatt
Eric
Adelman
JN STAFF
T
he Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan
Detroit’s annual
Ride for the Living event is
returning full-bore this year
on Sunday, Aug. 22, from 10
a.m. to 2:30 p.m., after a year
of socially distanced riding
due to the pandemic.
Federation’s Ride for the
Living event is a satellite ride
done in conjunction with the
ride that happens every year
in Krakow, Poland.
The JCC Krakow’s Annual
Ride for the Living is a
34.5-mile bike ride from
the Auschwitz death camp
to the JCC in Krakow that
commemorates Jewish
history, including the
Holocaust and the victims
that died, and celebrates the
miraculous rebirth of Jewish
life in Poland today.
Federation’s satellite ride
— which is approximately 30
miles — is Jewish Detroit’s
own way to commemorate
and celebrate the living.
All the proceeds from the
Metro Detroit ride go to the
JCC Krakow and the Jewish
community there.
The ride is for bikers of all
skill levels, including Slow
Rollers (avg. 8-10 mph),
Cruisers (avg. 11-15 mph)
and Chasers (avg. 16-18
mph).
This year, Federation is
making it a little more of a
social event. Instead of just
doing the ride, everyone’s
meeting afterward at
Ferndale Project on Livernois
for food and drinks.
The loop-around ride will
see riders meet up and start
at Ferndale High School, ride
all the way to the Detroit
Riverfront and finish back
at Ferndale Project, where
the socializing, food and
drinks will commence. The
Metro Detroit bike ride mirrors
Auschwitz-to-Krakow event.
Ride for the Living
Bikers on a past Ride for the Living event in Detroit
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER