60 | MARCH 31 • 2022 

C

OVID restrictions 
turned many of us 
into couch pota-
toes, and the problem may 
have been more pronounced 
among the clients of JARC. 
The organization is dedicat-
ed to providing housing and 
services to enable adults with 
developmental disabilities to 
live full and meaningful lives.
JARC serves 108 residents 
in 21 group homes and more 
than 40 people who live inde-
pendently.
During the pandemic, 
many JARC clients exercised 
less and ate more junk food, 

said Shaindle Braunstein, 
JARC’s executive director. But 
in March, the group home 
residents got a boost: a month 
of free assisted stretches at 
Stretch Zone. 
The Michigan franchise of 
Stretch Zone, with locations 
in Bloomfield Hills, Royal 
Oak and Livonia, is owned 
by Howard Luckoff and Sam 
Grey. They made the offer to 
JARC as a way of celebrating 
their fifth anniversary.
Luckoff, of Bloomfield 
Hills, is a long-time JARC 
board member and the orga-
nization’s immediate past 

president. Now on the board 
of the Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit, he 
became interested in JARC 
because one of his four chil-
dren, now 25, has develop-
mental disabilities. He and his 
wife, Nancy, are members of 
Temple Israel.
Gray, a chiropractor, lives 
in Bloomfield Hills with his 
wife, Lori, and is a member of 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
Luckoff and Gray have 
been friends since they met 
in kindergarten at Burton 
Elementary School in 
Huntington Woods. After 
Luckoff, a commercial real 
estate attorney, retired from 
the Honigman law firm, Gray 
suggested they partner to buy 
the Michigan Stretch Zone 
franchise. 
The JARC residents, many 
of whom suffer from long-
term arthritis or pain from 
old injuries, found the Stretch 
Zone offer a good way to 
increase mobility and reduce 
pain.
“Many of these adults aren’t 
able to access services that 
can help their overall quality 
of life,” Gray said. “JARC res-
idents are an important part 
of our community, and we are 
excited to welcome them into 
Stretch Zone.”
Braunstein appreciated the 
offer. “We want to keep them 
(the residents) as mobile as 
possible,” she said.
The company describes its 
services as practitioner- 
assisted stretching, which 
some clients view as a mash-
up of yoga, massage therapy 
and physical therapy. Trained 
practitioners perform person-
alized routines using a pat-
ented strapping system and 
tables to position, stabilize 

and isolate muscles. The prac-
titioner does the work, and 
the client gets the benefits, 
Luckoff said.
“Sam describes it as ‘lazy 
person’s yoga,’ but it’s so much 
more,” he said. “The method 
works by increasing the active 
range of motion.” Luckoff says 
he himself enjoys a stretch 
session after a hard run.
Based in Florida, Stretch 
Zone has165 locations in 16 
states. Clients range from pro-
fessional athletes to arthritic 
seniors. 
The Stretch Zone method 
promotes increased flexibility 
over time, said Luckoff. New 
clients often start with two 
sessions per week, then cut 
back when they start feeling 
better.
“The product sells itself,” 
Luckoff said. “I can’t think of 
anyone who has tried it who 
hasn’t liked it.”
Sheryl Garfinkel, who has 
lived at JARC’s Keller Walch 
Home in Farmington Hills 
since 1991, enjoyed her recent 
stretch session with practi-
tioner CJ Dedrich. 
“When he was done, my 
knee didn’t hurt anymore. 
That makes me feel good,” she 
said.
Her housemate Caryn 
Martel, who has been with 
JARC since 1994, is also a fan.
“I feel so much lighter when 
I get up,” she said. “I want to 
come again and again.”
Stretch Zone services 
are not currently covered 
by health insurance, said 
Luckoff, but clients with 
health savings accounts can 
usually be reimbursed.
New clients interested in 
giving Stretch Zone a try can 
take advantage of a free intro-
ductory session. 

Keeping it 
Limber

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

BUSINESS

Stretch Zone celebrates its 
anniversary with a deal for JARC.

COURTESY OF JARC

Caryn 
Martel and 
CJ Dedrich