I
n a recent email to friends and support-
ers, SOAR took the wraps off its new
logo and name.
“Earlier this year, under the interim
executive directorship of Wendy Bice and
Diane Henderson, and with the full sup-
port of the board of directors, the decision
was made to update SOAR’s legal name
to SOAR LLI (SOAR Lifelong Learning
Institute), a name more reflective of
SOAR’s mission and purpose,
” the email
read. SOAR stands for “Society of Active
Retirees.
”
SOAR LLI also introduced its new exec-
utive director, Debra Yamstein, who took
her post on June 6.
“We are thrilled to have Debra on
board,
” said Susan Greenfield, SOAR board
chair. “We feel so fortunate Debra chose
SOAR as the place she wants to work
among the many nonprofit
organizations that would love
to have her.
”
Yamstein comes to SOAR
after serving six years with
JVS Human Services, her last position as
vice president of Senior Adult Services
and Community Inclusion. Her work
included managing programs, including
the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish
Community Adult Day Program, which
provides programs and services for people
living with dementia and their partners.
At SOAR, her focus will be on growing
SOAR’s membership and funding through
member engagement, community collabo-
rations and innovative programming.
“I have a passion for working with older
adults and, as a lifelong learner myself,
SOAR’s mission resonates deeply with me,
”
Yamstein said.
In addition to being a lifelong leader,
she’s also a lifelong traveler, a dedicated
mother and one who remains calm and
steady, even under pressure. “My father
used to ask me if I was going to become a
Jewish nun,
” joked Yamstein, who grew up
in Oak Park, one of three children born to
Ralph and Marlene Yamron.
Yamstein attended Michigan State
University’s James Madison College but left
that program after switching her major to
religious studies. “So much of who we are
comes from our religious backgrounds,
”
she said. “I believe this education gave me
the ability to better understand different
people and cultures.
”
Her intention to study various cultures
was realized years later when she and a
travel mate circumnavigated the globe.
“When you spend nine months living out
of a backpack, you realize what you don’t
need and you see that, truly, everyone
wants the same things out of life: to be
happy, have their family close by and feel
like they belong. Traveling opens your
mind to a global worldview and you start
to think more deeply
about the change you can
make at home and in the
world.
”
Yamstein earned a
master’s of social work at Wayne State
University, then worked for several com-
munity agencies before landing at JVS.
She met and married her husband, Brian
Epstein, in 2008. She and her husband
combined their last names into “Yamstein.
”
The Yamsteins, who love to camp, hike
and just hang around home, have two
daughters, ages 10 and 13, and a Maltipoo.
“I was looking for a position that
matched my skill set and also embraced a
healthy work-home life balance. When I
saw the SOAR job posting, I thought, ‘This
is it!’ I had just enrolled my daughters in
the Hawk Community Center’s summer
camp program.
”
Greenfield said, “In Debra, we have a
professional who is dedicated to lifelong
learning and enhancing the lives of SOAR’s
members. I hope all of our staff, instruc-
tors and members give her a warm wel-
come to SOAR.
”
OUR COMMUNITY
A new logo, a new name and a new executive director.
What’s New at SOAR
JN STAFF
16 | JULY 28 • 2022
SOAR’s Shared
Interest Groups
Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) are
a way for SOAR members to take
a deep dive into areas of common
interest. SOAR’s SIGs are an inti-
mate, free benefit of SOAR mem-
bership and are hosted by a SOAR
volunteer (or team of volunteers)
and typically meet once a month
(presently on Zoom) to discuss a
book, film or issue. Find out more
at www.soarexplore.com.
“I HAVE A PASSION FOR
WORKING WITH OLDER
ADULTS AND, AS A
LIFELONG LEARNER
MYSELF, SOAR’S
MISSION RESONATES
DEEPLY WITH ME”
— DEBRA YAMSTEIN
Debra
Yamstein