26 | JANUARY 26 • 2023
L
isa Ziff of Bloomfield
Hills is this week’s
Volunteer of the Week.
Ziff has been volunteering
in one way or another
with JARC for around 15
years. In that time, Ziff has
participated in many different
ways — volunteering at bingo,
building sukkahs, going to
fundraisers and planting
flowers on Flower Day.
It was through her late
daughter, Shay, that Ziff
got involved with JARC,
specifically with JARC’s
Frederick H. Pitt Home in
Bloomfield Hills.
“We were just kind of
comfortable there,” Ziff said.
“I always knew eventually I
was going to get old and not
be around, and she would
need somewhere to live.
In my head was that she’ll
probably be in a JARC house
once that happens.
“Unfortunately, she passed
away before I did. But that
was where it started. Then
once she passed away, I just
really got attached to the
ladies in the Pitt house, and
I felt like that was me giving
back to Shay.”
A couple of years went by
after Shay died when Ziff
agreed to do some gardening
for JARC — and then
bumped into JARC’s Ann
Patronik around the same
time.
“I started helping her on
Fridays with the group, that
was for probably a year or so.
And I would keep in touch.”
A favorite memory in Ziff’s
15 years of being involved
with JARC, of course,
involves Shay.
“I think it was at the JARC
barbecue when Shay decided,
instead of being outside with
us, she was going to go inside
and do the dishes with the
ladies who work there,” Ziff
said. “It was kind of funny
because that was her favorite
part, she just loved the ladies
and helping them.”
JARC’s Director of
Philanthropy Jenny Kabert
says Ziff is a great volunteer.
“She just really cares so
much about the women in
the home she volunteers
in, and she wants them to
have the best of everything,
she treats them like family,”
Kabert said.
With a passion for the
organization being so closely
tied to the memory of her
daughter, Ziff knows how
special of an organization
JARC is.
“I think it’s a phenomenal
organization,” Ziff said. “For
people like myself who have
a child with special needs,
it feels good to know there’s
a place — as an adult when
you’re no longer here —
that will take care of your
children.”
A Passion
for JARC
Lisa Ziff continues to help the
ladies her daughter loved.
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
LEFT: Lisa’s late
daughter helping with
the dishes. BELOW:
Lisa Ziff and Joanie, a
person served by JARC.
Lisa Ziff
OUR COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK