28 | JULY 13 • 2023
I
t was a feel-good evening as
Jewish Family Service cele-
brated its accomplishments
of the past year and honored
many of the people who help
further the mission of JFS every
day. Close to 200 community
members and staff gathered
at the JCC June 27 for the
agency’s Annual Meeting and
Community Recognition Event.
Board Chair Marc Bakst
began the evening thanking
JFS’ incredible community
partners, who are essential
to the work of the agen-
cy. Greetings were offered from
Matt Lester, president of Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, followed by a d’var
Torah from Rabbi Daniel Syme.
Special guest speaker Sen.
Debbie Stabenow, a strong
advocate of mental health,
shared her dedication to JFS’
suicide prevention efforts, and
JFS CEO Perry Ohren provid-
ed the “State of JFS” by way of
sharing several new programs,
including support groups for
those dealing with post-partum
depression, grief and issues
related to fatherhood, as well
as the agency’s crisis response
team.
Those recognized for
their contributions included
Leonid Balabanov, direc-
tor of Transportation and
Translation, who received the
Patti Nemer Employee of the
Year Award; Diana Mukh and
Elaine Polevoy, transportation
supervisors, who each received
the Norman R. Keane Lifetime
Achievement Award; and Mark
Jacobs, chair of JFS’ Legal
Referral Service program, who
received the Barbara & Irving
Nusbaum Volunteer of the Year
Award.
Past Board Chair Julie
Teicher, on behalf of the
Nominating Committee, wel-
comed Todd Schafer to the
board of directors and thanked
board members who rolled
off this year for their service:
Karen Freedland-Berger, Helen
Katz, Avi Rubin and Margie
Yaker.
Sandy Schwartz z”l, who
served on the JFS Board for
five years until her passing
in March, was also thanked
and memorialized for her ser-
vice to JFS, for founding and
championing Cancer Thrivers
Network for Jewish Women
and for her decades of selfless
community involvement.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JFS
faces&places
Stabenow Speaks at Jewish
Family Service Annual Meeting
CLOCKWISE: A full house at the JCC. Lifetime Achievement Award winners Elaine Polevoy and Diana Mukh, and Employee of the Year recipient
Leonid Balabanov with CEO Perry Ohren. Sen. Debbie Stabenow shares her dedication to JFS’ suicide prevention efforts. Volunteer of the Year
recipient Mark Jacobs with JFS CEO Perry Ohren. Board President Mark Bakst welcomes attendees.