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.