32 | MAY 19 • 2022 

W

hat started as a family visit 
turned into certified volunteer 
position with the Hospice of 
Michigan. 
“
About three and a half years ago, I 
was tagged on a Facebook post from 
another animal lover saying that Hospice 
of Michigan was in need of pet therapy 
friends,
” said Eddie Berger of Bloomfield 
Hills. That’s when Eddie realized his 3-year-
old labradoodle Vince would be a perfect 
candidate after seeing how calm he was 
around his wife’s grandmother. 
“When my wife’s grandmother was alive, 
Great Grandma Jean, we would go to her 
facility. After we were done visiting with her, 
we would then walk up and down all the 
hallways and interact with people,
” Eddie 
said.
Eddie decided to take his 62 pounds of 
furry love to Hospice of Michigan for an 
interview. The interview process was exten-
sive, Eddie explained. “I had to show them 
some of his obedience then had to fill out 
forms. Then I had to go through an exten-
sive eight or 10 hours in classroom training. 
We also learned and got training on palli-
ative care and learned about what hospice 
means and what the roles and responsibility 

of Hospice of Michigan were,
” he explained. 
Once training was finished, Eddie says he 
and Vince began visiting clients, and before 
the pandemic hit, they did a lot of visits. 
Eddie said he had a preference to serve 
Jewish senior citizens, being Jewish himself. 
“I always have had a passion for giving back. 
I was in BBYO and always had a strong pas-
sion for volunteering,
” he said. 
Even though Eddie works fulltime while 
raising two young children with his wife, 
Sarag Miller, he still made volunteering a 
priority. “Pre-pandemic, I was able to bring 
my kids into the assisted living center and 
show them why it’s important to give back 
and to use that as a life lesson. At the same 
time, when you bring a small child into a 
facility like that, immediately smiles show 
up because people love to see kids run 
around.
” 
Even during the pandemic, Eddie and 
Vince continued their pet therapy services 
virtually. “I was able to connect and do some 
virtual home therapy visits where I was able 
to show Vince and bring his face very close 
to the camera, boop his snout and get him 
to do some tricks.
” 
Eddie said pet therapy visits brought a lot 
of joy to his clients during a difficult time in 

their lives. “I remember going to this person 
and their spouse,
” he said. “When Vince 
went to work, he put his head right on the 
knee of this person who was partially non-
verbal and the spouse really appreciated this 
joy,
” he said. 
“It was almost a family interaction and at 
that point, I almost remove myself from the 
situation — Vince knows what to do. The 
husband and the wife were enjoying Vince 
together. For them to be together and share 
those additional moments near the end of 
life, that’s really special.
” 
As things start to open back up, Eddie 
says he and Vince want to continue bringing 
smiles to senior citizens in the Jewish com-
munity. 

If you would like to nominate someone to be the next 

volunteer of the week, send a nomination with a short 

paragraph telling us why to socialmedia@thejewish-

news.com.

A four-legged friend bringing smiles to all. 
Eddie and Vince 

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

Sylvia Berger, 
Amalia Berger, 
Eddie Berger, 
Sarah Miller and 
Vince the dog.

“My wife’s grandma was the inspiration for 
Vince to volunteer because of how well he 
behaved around her and in her facility with 
others,” Eddie Berger said.

OUR COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK

