OUR COMMUNITY

F

or the JARC Teen Action 
Council, action is what 
sparks meaningful com-
munity connections. Even with 
the constraints of the COVID-
19 pandemic, the council 
was able to meld their young, 
creative minds to find ways to 
connect with and bring joy to 
the lives of JARC persons served 
— and this is why they were 
chosen as the Volunteers of the 
Week.
The council was started in 
2020 when longtime JARC 
volunteer Andrew Tukel con-
sidered the impact that isolation 
would have on JARC persons 
served. He teamed up with 
JARC Community Engagement 
Manager Jessica Tierney to form 
the council with the goal of pro-
viding persons served with sub-
stantial and fun programming 
despite COVID restrictions. 
The council’s first term in 
2020 proved to be a great suc-
cess and members wanted to 
continue their progress. The 

second term was made possi-
ble thanks to the Stephen H. 
Schulman Millennium Fund for 
Jewish Youth grant.
“One of the things we were 
talking about was how can we 
do programs that will still be 
meaningful that aren’t just, let’s 
be on a Zoom together,
” Tukel 
said.
Among the teens’ proudest 
accomplishments was their 
holiday gift bag distribution 
program. Each of the 19 council 
members paired up with a few 
JARC persons served and devel-
oped a connection over multiple 
phone calls. After getting to 
know the person served and 
their interests, the teens went 
out and created a gift basket of 
a few of the person’s favorite 
things and delivered them to 
their house to spread some hol-
iday cheer.
“We stood outside on the 
porch a little bit apart,
” Tukel 
said. “It was amazing. Every 
time I did it, it was just an 

amazing feeling as they opened 
the bag and loved whatever you 
brought them.
”
JARC Teen Action Council 
member Shayla Mostyn echoed 
Tukel’s excitement about the 
project. 
“I went over to her house to 
drop off the package and intro-
duced myself as the girl who was 
talking with her on the phone, 
and she was just so happy to see 
me — her smile lit up,
” Mostyn 
said. “I said, ‘This is for you,
’ and 
she didn’t know what it was. But 
then, when she opened it, she 
was like, ‘These are all my favor-
ites. I’m so glad you listened!’”
In addition to large group ser-
vice projects, the council split up 
into teams to work on smaller 
projects. Tukel said he and his 
small group planned an event 
where teens and persons served 
decorated challah covers togeth-
er over Zoom.
Finally, the council got to hear 
from a wide variety of guest 
speakers and engage in leader-

ship training. Mostyn said get-
ting an American Sign Language 
lesson from JARC persons 
served, with the help of an ASL 
interpreter, was a particularly 
eye-opening experience. 
“In order to communicate, 
you don’t just need to talk to 
somebody, you need to find a 
common language,
” Mostyn 
said. “
And just doing that is sim-
ple enough. I think the more we 
connect with each other, we will 
be one step closer to unity in the 
world.
”
While Mostyn and Tukel will 
no longer serve on the council as 
they go off to college next year, 
they both highly recommend the 
experience to any high schoolers 
who want to grow as leaders and 
make a difference in the com-
munity. The third JARC Teen 
Action Council term starts in 
September 2022. 

If you are in high school and interested 

in joining, please reach out to Jessica 

Tierney at jessicatierney@jarc.org or 

call (248) 940-2607.

JARC Teen Action Council members make meaningful 
connections with persons served.
Taking Action by Connecting 

WENDY KLUNK JARC JOIN INTERN 2022

22 | JULY 7 • 2022 

VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK

LEFT: The JARC Teen Action Council celebrated 
their accomplishments at at Detroit Axe in Ferndale. 
Pictured: Adam State, Andrew Tukel, Allie Applebau, 
Shayla Mostyn, Haley Lipman, Jessica Tierney, 
Wendy Klunk, Benjamin Schmeltz, Asher Aiser, Seth 
Goldstein, Joshua Geller and Harry Shaevsky. Not 
pictured: Noah Adamczyk, Sophia Bernzweig, Maddie 
Charnas, Merrick Chernett, Brevin Chernett, Marley 
Eaton, Cami Katzen, Cameron Spagna, Daniel Stryk 
and Dalia Zwas.
ABOVE: JARC Teen Action Council members 
volunteered at JARC’s annual Flower-a-thon.

