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