T

he 41st annual Stephen 
B. Zorn Memorial Golf 
Classic put on by the B’nai 
B’rith Great Lakes Region includ-
ed a special anniversary celebra-
tion this year.
It was the 10th year for a college 
scholarship program, also run by 
the Great Lakes Region, that began 
modestly in 2013 and has gained 
momentum through the years.
That year’s scholarship recipi-
ents are honored each year at the 
Golf Classic, which is the major 
annual fundraiser for the Great 
Lakes Region.
This year’s scholarship winners 
were 2023 North Farmington 
High School graduates Sara 
Goodman, Sam Melder and 
Raphael Weinstein, and 2023 
Berkley High School graduate Iris 
Macaulay.
Rick Sherline came up with the 
idea for the scholarship program 
because he wanted to help stu-

dents and their families with the 
high cost of college education.
He has been the scholarship 
program co-chair with David 
Lubin since Day 1. They’re run-
ning the program on their own 
these days. Through the years, 
they’ve gotten help from Stuart 
Novick, Sid Roth and Zorn.
“We started with $0 in the 
bank,
” Sherline said. “Now we’ve 
had about 40 scholarship recipi-
ents over the 10 years and given 
out more than $120,000 in schol-
arship money.
“We gave out $2,500 scholar-
ships each year to three or four 
high school graduates during the 
first nine years of the program. 
This year, in recognition of the 
10th anniversary, we gave out 
$5,000 scholarships to four high 
school graduates.
”
Some Golf Classic proceeds and 
a raffle held during the golf outing 
phhelp fund the scholarships. So 

do shows.
Two of the featured artists in 
the scholarship shows through 
the years were Ethan Bortnick, a 
young pianist who has performed 
on The Tonight Show, and Oz 
Pearlman, better known as Oz the 
Mentalist. He finished in the third 
place on America’s Got Talent in 
Season 10 in 2015.
A selection committee picks the 
scholarship winners. Sherline said 
he knows the committee chair, but 
not its members, who often are 
schoolteachers. Lubin and himself 
are not involved in the selection 
process.
“I’ve never read an application,
” 
Sherline said.
Scholarship recipients don’t 
have to be Jewish, but they must 
have involvement with a Jewish 
organization or in the Jewish com-
munity.
Criteria for earning a scholar-
ship includes mainly academic 

achievement, plus need, and com-
munity service or involvement.
All four of this year’s scholar-
ship recipients attended the Golf 
Classic, held June 12 at Tam-O-
Shanter Country Club in West 
Bloomfield.
Goodman said she’s friends 
with the other scholarships recip-
ients. She was in BBYO (B’nai 
B’rith Youth Organization) with 
Melder, she went to Hillel Day 
School with Weinstein, and she 
was a JCC camper with Macaulay.
Her involvement with BBYO 
opened the door for her receiving 
a B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region 
scholarship.
“I learned about the scholarship 
through a BBYO newsletter,
” she 
said.
She was in the Emunah Chapter 
in BBYO for five years and served 
on her chapter and regional 
boards.
The Farmington Hills resident 
is headed to Grand Valley State 
University to study exercise sci-
ence and start on a career path to 
be a physical therapist.
The B’nai B’rith Great Lakes 
Region scholarship means a lot 
to her, she said, because it comes 
from a Jewish organization.
“I’m looking forward to using 
the scholarship to further my edu-
cation,
” she said.
There were 26 teams of four 
golfers at this year’s Golf Classic.
The team of Mitchell Folbe, 
Howard Eisenstadt, Michael 
Fishman and Keith Sotiroff led the 
way with a 65. Dale Taub, Gary 
Klinger, Howard Meyers and Steve 
Lotzoff finished in second place 
with 66.
The B’nai B’rith Great Lakes 
Region includes Michigan, Fort 
Wayne, Indiana and Toledo, Ohio, 
with most of the activity in the 
Metro Detroit area.
Zorn, a longtime B’nai B’rith 
member, served as Great Lakes 
Region president for many 
years. 

Send sports news to stevestein502004@

yahoo.com.

38 | JUNE 29 • 2023 

From Zero to Six Figures

College scholarship recipients honored at B’nai B’rith 
Great Lakes Region Golf Classic.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

SPORTS

Jeff Tackel (left), B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region president, and Rick Sherline (right), scholarship program 
co-chair, with scholarship winners Iris Macaulay, Sam Melder, Sara Goodman and Raphael Weinstein.

B’NAI B’RITH GREAT LAKES REGION

