30 | JULY 28 • 2022
A
new $1.5 million donation from
Rachel Bendit and Mark Bernstein
will help support climate change
awareness and educational program-
ming provided by the Detroit Riverfront
Conservancy (DRC).
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, a
nonprofit organization founded in 2003
that aims to develop public access to
Detroit’s riverfront and encourage eco-
nomic development, serves as permanent
stewards of the Detroit Riverwalk and the
Dequindre Cut.
Like many areas of Detroit, it stands to
be affected by climate change if steps aren’t
taken to prevent the crisis from worsening.
The Detroit Riverfront attracts 3.5 mil-
lion visitors each year, with more than $200
million invested in its revitalization by the
DRC — an effort that has now generated
more than $2 billion in public and private
investment.
The riverfront is home to many public
spaces, wildlife and plants. The DRC raises
crucial funds for construction, operation,
maintenance, security and programming
in those spaces along the riverfront. Now,
thanks to the donation, many of those efforts
will have the financial backing they need to
positively influence generations to come.
“Our gift is focused on funding program-
ming related to climate change and sustain-
ability,
” explains Mark Bernstein, who is
president and managing partner of the Sam
Bernstein Law Firm. “The Detroit Riverfront
Conservancy creates a
natural opportunity to
engage with the commu-
nity on issues related to
climate change.
”
IMPROVING ACCESS
TO CLIMATE CHANGE
EDUCATION
The donation brings the DRC one step clos-
er to reaching its ultimate goal of developing
5.5 miles of riverfront from the Ambassador
Bridge on the west to Gabriel Richard Park
and Belle Isle on the east. It will also help
educate the riverfront’s thousands of annu-
al visitors on the grave risks that climate
change can pose.
Bendit and Bernstein, both residents of
Ann Arbor, share a personal passion for
climate change awareness. Bendit is also a
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy board mem-
ber and active in its efforts.
“We face an existential threat with climate
change,
” Bernstein says. “We felt it was essen-
tial that we do everything possible to address
those challenges.
”
In honor of the donation, the DRC will
soon debut the “Bernstein Bear” at Ralph
Wilson Park, a two-story playscape designed
by Denmark-based playground equipment
designer Monstrom. Located in the Delta
Dental Play Garden at Ralph Wilson Park,
the “Bernstein Bear” will feature several
climbing surfaces for children and a slide.
The park is currently under construc-
tion along the West Riverfront. It’s a $75
million investment that will transform the
Detroit Riverfront into what leaders hope
will become one of the most beautiful public
spaces in the country. It’s set for completion
in 2024.
“It’s a fun opportunity,
” Bernstein says
of the playscape named in his honor. “The
goal is to build a special place to bring our
community to the river.
” The hope, he says,
is for it to become a “favorite spot” for fam-
ilies across the region to enjoy while visiting
Detroit.
MAKING THE
WORLD A
BETTER PLACE
The new playscape,
among other program-
ming, can be used to
teach lessons about cli-
mate change to all ages,
Bernstein explains. “It
aims to provide real
tools to put these values
and this awareness to
work in our communi-
ty,
” he says of the effort.
“It is also important
to us to provide deeper
support for a program that has the potential
to benefit future generations,
” adds Rachel
Bendit. “That is why we have invested in the
Conservancy’s climate programming, to help
young people learn what they will need to
become effective stewards of this park, river
and planet for decades to come.
”
It’s an essential donation that DRC leaders
are excited to receive.
“We are thrilled with this generous gift
from Rachel and Mark,
” says Mark Wallace,
president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront
Conservancy. “This gift will help us to devel-
op educational programs focused on the
importance of environmental stewardship
for everyone in our community.
”
Prioritizing the environment and climate
is a notion that ties back to the Jewish con-
cept of tikkun olam, or “repairing the world.
”
It’s one that Bernstein doesn’t take lightly.
“There’s no question that this honors our
Jewish values,
” he says of climate efforts,
“that demand that we engage in making our
world a more just and equitable place.
“
Addressing climate change and sustain-
ability,
” Bernstein continues, “is central to
those values.
”
OUR COMMUNITY
$1.5 million donation will boost
climate change programming
at the Detroit riverfront.
A Bernstein Bear
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A rendering of the
“Bernstein Bear”
COURTESY OF DRC
Mark Bernstein and
Rachel Bendit