DECEMBER 8 • 2022 | 25

N

orah and Emily Miller, 14, of 
Birmingham have both been nom-
inated as Volunteer of the Week by 
the Michigan-based nonprofit JARC.
“Norah and Emily started volunteering 
with JARC through our partnership with 
Hillel,
” Jenny Kabert, JARC’s director of 
philanthropy explains. “We’re so glad to 
have Norah’s and Emily’s involvement with 
JARC. The friendships they have formed 
with the people we serve are so special. It’s 
wonderful to see volunteers involved at such 
a young age!”
The twins say they originally got involved 
with the organization when they started 
looking for a mitzvah project for their bat 
mitzvahs and found themselves falling in 
love with the people at the organization. 
“We first went to do volunteer work gar-
dening at one of the JARC resident’s homes, 
and I didn’t expect it to go the way it did,
” 
Emily said. “It felt wonderful to make some-
one happy. We got to play with the hose 
while doing yard work and made friends! 

That feeling stuck with me, which is 
why I requested to meet that person 
again for our volunteer experience 
with JARC.
”
Emily and Norah’s mom, Beth Miller, 
feels that her girls learned more about what 
it means to give back through volunteering 
at JARC.
“I feel like they’re getting more out of it 
than the residents. It brings so much joy to 
everyone and it really puts life in perspec-
tive,
” Beth said. 
The family also brings along their dog, 
Kona, during some of their visits to the 
nonprofit. 
“When we brought our dog, Kona, to 
JARC, everyone loved seeing and playing 
with her,
” Emily said. “It’s amazing to see 
people happy by doing something as small 
as bringing my dog for a visit.
”
The eighth-graders at Hillel Day School 
say the long-lasting connections they’ve 
made through the volunteer work they’ve 
done over the past two years at JARC has 

been so rewarding.
“I think people don’t remember days or 
dates as much as they remember memories 
or moments. And being able to help cre-
ate those amazing moments with JARC is 
something that I really enjoy,
” Emily said.
The Miller twins have continued their 
volunteer work following their mitzvah 
project and encourage others to volunteer 
their time if they can.
“I think people should volunteer because 
it’s a great way to spend your time,
” Norah 
explains. 
“You also get a lot out of it because you 
get to see the small acts you do make a big 
difference in someone else’s life.
” 

To learn more about JARC and how you can volunteer 

with the organization head to: jarc.org. 

 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 rsweet@thejewishnews.com.

The Dynamic 
Volunteering Duo 
Meet Norah and Emily Miller, the twins who 
fell in love with volunteering at JARC. 

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OUR COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK

Norah, Emily and 
Kona enjoying 
time with JARC 
residents.

Kona relaxing 
after her fun 
day at a JARC 
home.

Norah and Emily 
Miller at one of 
the JARC homes.

