40 | DECEMBER 2 • 2021 

E

PIC, NEXTGen 
Detroit’s premier 
annual fundraiser ben-
efiting the Jewish Federation 
of Metropolitan Detroit, 
took place Nov. 6 at the M-1 
Concourse Event Center. This 
year’s COVID-conscious, 
indoor/outdoor iteration, “
An 
EPIC Night at the Carnival,
” 
welcomed 420 young Jewish 
Detroiters who collectively 
raised more than $285,000 for 
the Federation’s 2022 Annual 
Campaign. 
“
After nine EPICs that all 
featured a standup comedian, 
we were excited to try some-
thing new,
” said Samantha 

Foon, EPIC co-chair. “Creating 
this after-dark carnival com-
plete with fairway games, 
prizes, fair food and even a 
carousel gave our guests a fun 
and safe night out, full nostal-
gia and the chance to connect 
with their fellow young Jewish 
Detroiters.
”
An EPIC Night at the 
Carnival — brought to the 
community by Sue & Alan 
J. Kaufman & Family — is 
a shining example of how 
the Federation’s young adult 
division continues to provide 
meaningful and engaging 
experiences for the NEXTGen 
Detroit community despite 

challenging times.
“Everyone had an incredible 
time, and the fact that we all 
came together to support such 
an important cause made it 
even more special,
” said Mike 
Ran, EPIC co-chair. “The 
money raised at EPIC will 
have an even greater impact on 
taking care of the needs of the 
community, thanks to a gener-
ous matching gift in memory 
of Irving & Ethel Palman.
”
NEXTGen Detroit’s calen-
dar of upcoming events can 
be found at jewishdetroit.org/
nextgen. A winter fundraiser 
is currently in the works and 
planned for February. 

An EPIC Success 
for NEXTGen Detroit

1: EPIC guests gather under the carnival tent created for the event. 2: NEXTGen Detroit President George Roberts addresses the crowd. 3: 
NEXTGen Detroit Director Tomer Moked, EPIC Co-Chairs Andrew Sherman, Samantha Foon and Mike Ran, and EPIC Lead Staff Hallie Eisenberg 
4: Sarah Timlin, Noam Hadad. 5: Taylor Sher, Samantha Foon, Ashley Nathan, Carly Schiff, Stephanie Beer. 6: Stephanie Parzen, Zack Slabotsky, 
Emily Slabotsky, Stacie Bernard, Joshua Bernard.

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6

faces&places

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEXTGEN DETROIT

