LEGALLY BLONDE . . . L'awfully Good! Far Out FABULOUS! - JARC

6 From Our Home To Yours AUGUST / SEPT 2009
From the JARCives
Hope Springs from the Ashes and the Dream Goes On
In 1977, the State of Michigan passed landmark legislation that allowed group homes for six or fewer people to open in any
neighborhood without special zoning approval. This significant ruling opened the doors to small community-based group homes.
Spotlight on Staff: Chris Hench
As JARC celebrates its 40th anniversary, we look back…
It was an exciting time of expansion for JARC, then known as AJR
(Association for Jewish Retarded). In 1978, Harvard graduate and Detroit
native Joyce Keller was hired as Executive Director, and before the decade
closed, two new homes opened their doors in Oak Park - the Meadowlark
Haverim Home and the Seymour J. Gilmore Memorial Home.
The year 1979 marked the beginning of the Aaron and Helen L. DeRoy
Independent Living Program to help individuals who did not need 24-hour
supervision to live independently in their own homes and programs.
The decade of the 80's began with a name change as AJR officially
(L to R) Friends Rheba Herman, Robbie Feldstein, Toby Silverstein became JARC (Jewish Association for Retarded Citizens) and the
enjoy Shabbat dinner at the Blumberg Home in 1988
organization kept on expanding to meet the needs of the people it
served. The residents of the first group home on Evergreen moved to the Samuel and Jean Frankel Home in Southfield. The Sadie
and Charles Grosberg Home in Beverly Hills and the Shirley T. Medow Home in Huntington Woods opened in 1982, followed by the
Beit Channa Home and the Shenkman Family Home, and the Meadowlark Home was rededicated as the Mary and Donald Samuels
Home.
Then tragedy struck. Community residents, opposed to a proposed Pleasant Ridge home donated by Louis Blumberg, filed two
lawsuits. Both failed. And then the unthinkable - the home was torched shortly before its opening.
From the ashes of the fire, the JARC community pulled together, forging a renewed sense of purpose. Under the watch of 24-hour
guard service, the Louis C. Blumberg Home was rebuilt and opened four months later.
Chris Hench, JARC's Chief Operating Officer, has been with the agency since 1988, and oversees all of
JARC's program services. She has been involved in every aspect of program development, including the
formation of JARC's Harris Division and growth in residential and enhanced services.
Having worked in the field of developmental disabilities her entire professional life, Chris received her
MSW from the University of Michigan School of Social Work and Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from
the University of Michigan School of Languages, Arts and Sciences. Without hesitation, she proudly states,
"The best part of my job is getting to spend time with the people we serve, and working with the JARC staff
— the best staff anywhere ever. They never cease to amaze me."
In September, 2008, Chris was elected to serve on the Board of the Michigan chapter of the American
CHRIS HENCH
Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. It has enabled her to become involved with
people from various parts of the state and bring back ideas for making JARC even better.
Most recently, Chris has introduced the principles of Gentle Teaching (GT) into the agency philosophy. With GT, employees are
trained to use their presence, hands, words and eyes to help the people entrusted to their care feel safe, cared about, loved and
engaged. There are now several Gentle Teaching mentors on staff and in October, JARC will be bringing in the founder of GT,
Dr. John McGee, to speak to the agency staff and the staffs of other Jewish agencies.
Chris adds, "What I love about JARC is that the people here are never satisfied… we always want to make our services better and
better."
TICKETS ONLINE! www.jarc.org | Party Like It’s 1969 with JARC and Somerset Collection South | Saturday 10.17.09