40 | APRIL 25 • 2024
J
N

faces&places

T

he people JARC serve recently
enjoyed a night of bowling at
The Perfect Game in Farmington
Hills in the company of area high school
students who are part of the Tony
Richman Teen Action Project.
The event was attended by 17 adults
served by JARC and 14 students from
five area high schools: Frankel Jewish
Academy, Bloomfield Hills High
School, Wylie E. Groves High School,
Earnest W
. Seaholm High School and
Cranbrook Upper School.
Students of the Tony Richman Teen
Action Project spend the fall and winter
semesters of the school year learning
more about developmental disabilities,
getting to know the people JARC serves,
and planning and collaborating on
several team-building activities joining
together the members of the group with
the adults JARC serves.
Events for the teens have included
planning, creating and delivering care
packages for the people JARC serves, an
educational presentation on disability
history, a Lego challenge for team build-
ing and much more. Events that brought
together the people JARC serves with
the teens included an educational eve-
ning of presentations about deaf culture

and American Sign Language (ASL)
Basics and an action-packed night of
bowling. The final combined event of
the school year will be a game night.
An idea for a program created by
JARC volunteer Andrew Tukel, the
group was founded in 2020 as JARC
Teen Action Council, and later renamed
the Tony Richman Teen Action Project
in memory of Tony Richman, whose
family’s hope is that students will benefit
personally and later professionally by
their connections with the people with
developmental disabilities that JARC
serves, and that they would feel fulfilled
giving back to their community and
continue volunteering long after they
graduate.
Today, the volunteer group has
expanded to include many area high
schools and is comprised of 25 stu-
dents from five private and public
high schools in West Bloomfield,
Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Commerce
and Farmington.
If you know a high school student
looking to get involved with JARC’s
Tony Richman Teen Action Project
for the fall 2024 term, contact Jessica
at jessicatierney@jarc.org or call (248)
940-2607.

Striking Smiles: People
Served by JARC Go
Bowling with High
School Volunteer Group

Kayla, a person JARC serves, and Lilly, a teen in the
Tony Richman Teen Action Project, hug as they smile
for a photo together.

Denise, a person JARC serves, fist bumps with Tony
RIchman Teen Action Project teen Alexa.

Attendees converse while
waiting for their next turn to
bowl and cheer on others.

Julie, a person
served by JARC,
bowls her ball.