24 | MARCH 9 • 2023 

R

achel Devries of 
Berkley, a JN 36 
Under 36 2023 win-
ner, is this week’s Volunteer 
of the Week.
As a graduate of Hillel Day 
School and Frankel Jewish 
Academy, a lifelong member 
of Adat Shalom Synagogue 
and an alumna of Tamarack 
Camps, Devries’ upbringing 
in Jewish Metro Detroit was 

instrumental in cultivating 
her passion for giving back to 
the community. 
Devries has volunteered 
her time and expertise to 
speak to students at Farber 
Hebrew Day School, MSU 
Hillel and Wayne State 
University Hillel on employ-
ment strategies and living a 
Jewish life post-college. As a 
career with Gesher Human 

Services and later as a pas-
sion project, Rachel has 
helped hundreds of individu-
als elevate their personal and 
professional lives through 
guidance, resume review, 
cover letter creation and 
interview preparation.
Devries has been volun-
teering bi-monthly for nearly 
four years for Henry Ford’s 
SandCastles grief support 
program, which offers grief 
support to children, teens 
and families who have expe-
rienced the death of a loved 
one. 
“The work I do with 
SandCastles is something I 

really value because my mom 
died when I was 9, and even 
though I had such a strong 
community I was raised in, 
I didn’t know how to grieve 
and cope with that,” Devries 
said. “I just think, ‘What if I 
had that program when I was 
younger?’” 
Devries does arts and 
crafts and other projects with 
the children and teens to help 
them learn how to grieve 
and cope with their loss in a 
constructive and healthy way 
and help them understand 
there are other people like 
them who have experienced 
that pain.

Rachel Devries gives back to 
the community in wide-ranging, 
meaningful ways. 

In Her 
Blood

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

