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June 30 • 2016 25 High Hopes Volunteer offers guidance, nurturing to Detroit girls. A s an attorney, Cherie Morganroth of Bloomfield Hills has dedi- cated most of her adult life to her career. Thorough and scrupulous in everything she does, when the time came in her life to pursue a hands-on volunteer- ing opportunity, she found just the right fit by giving her time and advice to six teen girls living and learning together in a house run by Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit (BHGH, boyshopegirlshope.org). Boys Hope Girls Hope is an interna- tional charitable organization that focuses on academically strong students who are motivated and capable but do not have a home life that supports their academic pursuits. After a rigorous application process, selected students are placed into private high schools and attend an intensive after-school college prep program for two hours every day. The goal is to get the kids through high school and into college with scholarships, with assistance and guidance through college as well. In a home in the historic Palmer Woods neighborhood, six girls live, work and study together in the BHGH house throughout the year and return to their family every other weekend. On a recent evening, the girls were at a massive din- ing table eating dinner cooked by a house "mother," studying for finals and chatting about prom. Over the last months, Morganroth, 49, visited with the girls during dinner time to talk about her career and the girl's plans for college and beyond. She has brought her twin nieces, students at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, to talk about the college application process and college life. She also has brought a yoga instructor to let the girls try out some poses and tech- niques as a way to blow off stress. Morganroth reached out to the orga- nization in January 2016 as her first foray into volunteering. Though she first considered being a board member, what she really wanted to do with her volunteer time was to provide nurturing support to the girls. BHGH Program Director Rebecca Limbaugh, MSW, MA, who grew up in inner-city Detroit, said girls living in the group home are given the opportunity to expand their horizons. The organization welcomes volunteers like Morganroth because they model professions the teens can aspire to, she added. "At BHGH, teens have the opportunity to meet people and have artistic and cultural experiences they would not oth- erwise encounter in their home environ- ments," Limbaugh said. "In most cases, most of our kids live in a setting where the only time they would meet someone like Cherie is if they or a relative would be charged with commit- ting a crime. Developing a relationship with professionals allows our boys and girls to be motivated, dream big and start thinking about their college and their future." Leathra Burrell, 17, a junior at Renaissance High School in Detroit, has big plans. A competitive swimmer, she hopes to land a swimming scholarship at an in-state university to study physical therapy and American Sign Language. "Living here helps me stay structured and organized and gives me the chance to see what it would be like living away from my family with people of all differ- ent backgrounds," she said. "I've enjoyed getting to know Cherie and learning from her." Morganroth said, "The work with BHGH has been profoundly enriching. I was welcomed into the program with open arms and, over the coming months, I look forward to developing programs for them, such as bringing in guest speakers who can teach them the ins and outs of what employers are looking for. I hope I am offering them further nurturing. I find spending my time with them personally gratifying." * Resident Girls Hope scholars Leathra Burrell, 17, and Serenity Sutton and Sha-kiya Money, both 16, talk with Cherie Morganroth about college. Stacy Gittleman | Contributing Writer Stacy Gittleman » m e n t s h o f t h e m o n t h Dr. Cyrlin proudly announces the relocation of his practice to Wayne State University Physicians Group, Kresge Eye Institute at its newly opened facility located at 26400 West 12 Mile Road, Suite 60 Southfield, MI 48034 248 263-2640 Appointments welcomed for new, existing and former patients Graduate: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO Internship: Washington University, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO Residency: University of Illinois, Ill. Eye and Ear Infirmary, Chicago, IL Glaucoma Fellowship: Harvard University, Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA Board Certified: American Board of Ophthalmology Member: American Academy of Ophthalmology Charter Member: American Glaucoma Society Member: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Attending Staff: Sinai Huron Valley Hospital, Commerce Township, MI William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI Marshall N. Cyrlin, M.D. Glaucoma and Cataract Consultation medical, laser, surgical therapy