28 | OCTOBER 28 • 2021

she danced 13 styles of
ballroom dance, including
bolero, fox trot, rumba and
salsa, in her first National
Fred Astaire Competition
in Orlando in 2019.
After her life-changing
surgery, Finsilver became
determined to offer other
sufferers the same support
that she received from the
Iowa farmer and started the
first International Essential
Tremor Foundation
(IETF) support group for
Michigan patients.
“The group became
very successful, with 300
members in Michigan,
so I was then invited to
join the board of the IETF
and eventually became

the president,” explains
Finsilver, now 71, who cur-
rently has the role of vice
president.
She has received recog-
nition for her work, being
awarded the Spirit of Hope
Award by the IETF in 2011,

appearing on the front
cover of the organization’s
magazine.
Now she is being rec-
ognized by JVS Human
Services at their Trade
Secrets event, and says she
feels a kinship with the
women who have rein-
vented their lives by taking
part in Women to Work.
“Although my circumstanc-
es have been different, I
do understand how many
women have faced chal-
lenges and worked hard to
overcome them. For me,
my life took a dramatic
turn after brain surgery,
and I have worked hard to
pay it forward since then,”
she said.

OUR COMMUNITY

Information about
Women to Work:

JVS Human Services’ Women to
Work program began more than
30 years ago when it was called
Displaced Homemakers. Then
funded by the U.S. Department
of Labor, the aim was to help
women whose life circumstances
had changed through events like
divorce, bereavement or financial
disruption. Since that time, more
than 2,000 women have been
through the program, finding a new
direction for their working lives.
After intensive assessment, testing
and job search training, these
women emerge with renewed
self-confidence, market-ready job
skills and an action plan. Upon
completion of the program, 85%
of the program’s participants find
employment or enroll in further
training.

Shari Finsilver making her accep-
tance award speech for IETF’s
Spirit of Hope Award in 2010.

continued from page 27

N

EXTGen Detroit is
dropping the mic and
raising a tent for its
annual EPIC event — all part
of a yearlong 10th anniversary
celebration that’s proving to be
more about changing things than
upholding traditions. An EPIC
Night at the Carnival — brought
to the community by Sue & Alan
J. Kaufman & Family — will
take place Nov. 6 at the new
M1 Concourse Event Center in
Pontiac.
Traditionally held every
spring, except for last year due
to COVID-19, EPIC has consis-
tently drawn 500+ young Jewish
Detroiters to celebrate and sup-
port their community. But with

concerns about large gatherings
inside, NEXTGen Detroit took
this year as an opportunity to
reinvent EPIC, and the many
innovations mean that even the
most seasoned EPIC guests are
in for something new.
“The pandemic has made
event planning incredibly chal-
lenging, but it also has pushed
us to think outside the box and
reinvent annual events that have
run their course,
” said Adam
Sherman, EPIC co-chair. “We’ve
loved sitting down in a theater
for a comedy show for the last
eight EPICs, but we’re also ready
for something fun and different.
”
Standup comedians were the
headlining entertainment for

all the previous EPIC events,
which over the years were held at
MGM Casino, the Renaissance
Center, the State Theater and
most recently the State Savings
Bank in Detroit. But this year,
EPIC has left the theater and is
popping up at the M1 Concourse
Event Center in the form of an
after-dark carnival under an
open-air tent that will be large
enough for the anticipated 300
guests to enjoy the evening and
spread out.
“We’re so excited to be creating
An EPIC Night at the Carnival
in this new event space and
thankful that we can put this
together in a COVID-conscious
and safe way for our guests,
” said

Samantha Foon, EPIC co-chair.
“We are bringing together the
best elements of any carnival
— the games and prizes, the
characters and entertainment,
the excitement in the air, all that
great fair food and, of course,
we have some surprises up our
sleeves.
”
In addition to being a highly
anticipated night out, EPIC
is a chance for young Jewish
Detroiters ages 21-45 to make
a significant impact on their
community. Each guest is asked
to make a minimum of donation
of $100 to Federation’s 2022
Annual Campaign to attend. You
can get tickets and learn more at
jewishdetroit.org/EPIC.

“An EPIC Night at the Carnival” is totally
reimagined and ready to wow.

‘EPIC’ Changes for
NEXTGen Detroit’s
Annual Big Event

BECKY MAISTER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS