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.