26 | JUNE 9 • 2022 

E

liana Weiss, 13, of 
Huntington Woods 
and Drew Edelstein, 
13, of West Bloomfield have 
both been nominated as 
volunteers of the week for 
their passion for dogs. The 
two are unrelated but are 
both making a difference in 
their communities through 
local programs. 
Weiss attends Norup 
International School in Oak 
Park and recently had her bat 
mitzvah at Temple Israel on 
May 28. 
“I’ve been doing volunteer 
work for Detroit Dog Rescue 
(DDR) for the past three or 
four years,” Weiss said. 
“When I heard they were 
opening up a new shelter, I 
actually volunteered to work 
there during the summer.” 
In 2018, the organization 

was gifted the Westcott 
Veterinary Hospital where 
it will have more space to 
expand its no-kill operations. 
Weiss took it upon herself 
to set up multiple donation 
drives and collect gently used 
items for dogs.
“Through my donation 
drives, I have raised $2,800 
in monetary donations and 
about $3,300 in items,” she 
says. 
Because of her efforts, the 
organization put her name 
on their wall of ambassadors. 
She says it feels good to be 
recognized, but she does 
it because of her passion 
for dogs and inspiration 
from Kristina Rinaldi, DDR 
executive director. 
Weiss’ mother, Amy, 
says she’s proud to see 
her daughter take on the 

initiative and 
create her own 
fundraising 
events. 
Weiss plans 
to continue 
working with the 
organization this 
the summer and says she will 
do whatever she can to help. 

DOG THERAPY
Edelstein, who also has a 
big heart for dogs, decided 
to use his mitzvah project 
to help his school district’s 
dog therapy program. The 
seventh grader at Clifford 
H. Smart Middle School in 
Commerce says when he 
learned about the program, 
he wanted to figure out how 
he could raise funds for it. 
 “My goal was to raise 
$1,000 for the program. So, I 

decided to walk and dog-sit 
for a couple of dogs in my 
neighborhood,” he said. 
Edelstein ended up walking 
10 dogs and dog-sat two 
more and exceeded his goal 
by raising $1,600.
“I am surprised about 
how much money I raised,” 
he said. “Especially because 
most of it came from dog 
walking. Some people didn’t 
even need me to walk their 
dog, they just wanted to 
donate to the cause.” 
“It was such a cool exper-
ience, and I love seeing how 
dogs can bring joy to people.” 

Four-Legged Mitzvot

Meet Eliana Weiss and Drew Edelstein who 
make an impact with their love for dogs. 

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OUR COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK 

LEFT: Eliana Weiss’ donation 
drive for DDR in 2021. 
BELOW: Harley the dog gives 
a paw-five to Drew Edelstein.

