12 | APRIL 25 • 2024

life, even if it was small, and it was
nice to share that experience with my
classmates as well.” Gadharf’s experience
had a lasting impact on him.
“I always had a soft spot for JARC and
even served on their board of directors
for a few years,” he shared.
Another alumna, Talia Dolgin, who
has a daughter who is currently part of
the JARC program at Hillel, is grateful
that the program has introduced her
daughter to people of different abilities,
as she has always felt the importance of
these experiences for children of all ages.
“It warms my heart to see the kindness
and compassion of all of the seventh-
graders toward the JARC residents. They
demonstrate a maturity level I was not

expecting to see at their age,” Dolgin
says.
Personally, Dolgin is grateful for her
own involvement in the program as a
seventh grader at Hillel and considers
it a guiding factor in her career. “This
program played a role in my decision to
become a speech language pathologist,”
Dolgin shares. “Children’s involvement
with JARC gives them an opportunity to
learn about themselves and others, and
those experiences can possibly have an
impact on their future endeavors, as it
did for me.”

A YEAR OF MEANING
Typically, there are an average of 40
students in the program each year.

This year, each student was partnered
with a classmate, and matched with
a person served by JARC, based on
common interests. Throughout the
year, the students join the people JARC
serves for events at Hillel, and for their
end-of-term celebration where they
bowl together at The Perfect Game in
Farmington Hills.
As the program leader, Leslie
Baron describes the year as being
full of meaningful moments and has
felt fulfilled in the work she’s doing
with every experience. “Watching the
students’ enthusiasm, interaction and
investment with the people JARC serves
is truly special,” Baron said.
Current Hillel students Lihi Maine,

OUR COMMUNITY
COVER STORY

continued from page 11

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES