JSL celebrated the grand opening of the Hechtman II Coffee House in the Eli A. Scherr Activity Room. Philanthropist and friend, Eli Scherr, attended the festivities along with more than 40 residents, staff and community members from the West Bloomfield Clerk’s office and the West Bloomfield Chamber. Eli spoke of his days on the Jewish Home and Aging Services Board and his delight in contributing to the lifestyle we enjoy on our JSL campuses. The room, once a bustling place for residents to come and take part in activities, has been transformed into a cozy Coffee House and meeting space. The energy in the room was upbeat. Dignitaries included West Bloomfield Township Supervisor Steve Kaplan, Teri Weingarten, Debbie Binder, and Suzanne Levine, among others who noticed the joy in the air and commented repeatedly how delighted they were to participate in the ceremony.
Eli proudly cut the ribbon on the gorgeous new space and invited one and all to come in, drink coffee, enjoy Mandelbread, and play the many games provided. The new touchless coffee machine offered more than a dozen choices. The open door on the 2nd floor balcony offered a view of the renovation work on the Hechtman Dining Room that will eventually be expanded to hold all the Hechtman residents in one seating. The updated Coffee House was the brainchild of Hechtman Administrator, Melissa Morton, and her hard-working staff, who spent a great deal of time thinking about what would make everyone happy.
“Because of Eli Scherr, residents and guests will be able to come together, spend time and have an amazing space and place to interact, socialize and even meet new people,” Morton said. “We couldn’t be more thrilled and thank everyone involved for their support with this ‘new’ space.”
From the bountiful selection of games and game boards, cozy tables and comfy chairs, to all the special touches in the freshly painted room stood out against the gorgeous new color on the walls. A technology charging station, an Amazon Alexa sound system and a large screen tv played a realistic fireplace. Speeches were made, photos were snapped, videos were filmed and we all felt the excitement of the moment and we attributed this to the happiness on our donor’s face who understands completely that giving is receiving. JSL CEO Nancy Heinrich said, “We are so fortunate that Eli Scherr has been our benefactor for so many years.”
Thank you, Eli, for allowing us to thank and celebrate you and our entire community. The flow continued and the Hechtman residents who were dressed up and “fahputzed” by 9:00am stayed even longer to engage with one another. Here’s to many years ahead happily playing games and schmoozing together. Special thank you to all who came to Hechtman to make these special moments significant for our residents.
