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.