May 2003
Contact: Jodee Fishman Raines, Director, The Jewish Fund, 248-203-1487.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI – At a recent meeting of The Jewish Fund Board of Directors, action was taken to provide up to $500,000 to four community agencies, which have been adversely impacted by funding reductions from the government, United Way and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
Typically The Fund approves grants in January and August. Approved through an accelerated process, grants from The Jewish Fund will be directed as follows:
- $200,000 to JVS for career counseling and job placement
- $150,000 to Jewish Family Service (JFS) to provide direct financial assistance to people facing medical and other emergency needs
- $90,000 to the DMC/Sinai-Grace Hospital for medical and pharmacy services for indigent Jewish patients referred by JFS
- $60,000 to the Jewish Home and Aging Services for guardianship services for vulnerable Jewish elderly and disabled younger adults in need of legal representation.
“Our priority is to protect the most vulnerable members of our community,” stated David Page, Chair of The Jewish Fund. “With the stock market’s plunge, the national trend of foundations managing endowments is to reduce grants. We are fortunate in this community that our legacy of giving and planning has provided us the means to still grant new requests.”
Lawrence Jackier, president of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, expressed his thanks to The Jewish Fund Board, “The Federation is deeply appreciative of The Jewish Fund’s extraordinary efforts to help our community. I commend the Board members for having the vision and compassion to make these grants. Special thanks goes to the Fund’s Chair, David Page, their Grants Committee Chair, Robert Naftaly (who also serves as the Fund’s Vice Chair), and Michael Maddin, who chaired the ad hoc committee created to review the grants and develop recommendations for the Board.”
A tradition of caring, The Jewish Fund was established in 1996 from the sale proceeds of Sinai Hospital to the Detroit Medical Center. Sinai Hospital was a Jewish community funded facility that grew into one of metropolitan Detroit’s top health care institutions. The Jewish Fund Board of Directors remains committed to continuing Sinai Hospital’s tradition of sustaining, enriching and addressing the overall health care needs of both the Jewish community and broader community in the greater Detroit area. Since its creation, The Fund has paid over $21 million in grants. Funded programs have improved the quality of life for older citizens and children with special needs, and provided health support for people of all ages.
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