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