The Flint Jewish Federation recently announced that Congressman Dan Kildee, Jay
Kommareddi and Kathy Weiner have been named recipients of the 32nd Annual Donald Riegle
Community Service Award. The event will take place at 5:30 p.m., on Monday, September 11, at the
Flint Institute of Arts.
Proceeds from this fundraiser will provide support services and acculturation programs of Jewish
Community Services to refugees and immigrants who have settled in the Flint area.
This annual event honors three members from the local community for their dedication and
commitment to community service. It is named for Michigan’s former Senior United States Senator
Donald W. Riegle, who during his federal legislative career co-sponsored most of the major
legislation pertaining to freedom of immigration issues.
Congressman Dan Kildee born and raised in Flint is a lifelong Michigander. In Congress, work to bring people together, focus on kitchen table issues and get results for mid-Michigan. n Kildee serves on the Ways and Means Committee, the oldest and most powerful committee, and the Budget Committee. As a member of these committees, Kildee works to protect the earned benefits of Social Security and Medicare, lower the costs of health
care premiums and prescription drugs, negotiate fair trade deals to ensure Michigan farmers and
manufacturers have a seat at the table and make sure the tax system benefits working families,
not just the wealthy and well-connected.
Before being elected to Congress, Congressman Kildee co-founded and served as the president
of the Center for Community Progress, a national non-profit organization focused on urban land
reform and revitalization.
He also founded Michigan’s first land bank—the Genesee County Land Bank—which is responsible for tens of millions of dollars in redevelopment in Flint. The Genesee County Land Bank later served as a model for over 250 other land banks across the nation.
Previously, Congressman Dan Kildee served as the Genesee County Treasurer, on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners and on the Flint Board of Education. Additionally, he worked for eight years at the Whaley Children’s Center, a residential treatment facility in Flint for children who have experienced trauma and abuse.
Kildee resides in Flint Township with his wife, Jennifer. They have two children, Kenneth and Katy. Kildee’s oldest son, Ryan, and his wife Ginger are the parents of their first two grandchildren, Caitlin and Colin.
Jayashree (Jay) Kommareddi is a long-time community organizer, advocate and activist focused on charitable and political activities. Kommareddi has served in leadership positions in the Genesee
County Medical Society Alliance and the Michigan State Medical Society Alliance. She has also
served on the boards of the Mott Children’s Health Center and the Genesee County Free Medical
Clinic for almost 15 years.
Kommareddi was a 2005 appointee of Governor Jennifer Granholm to the MI Governor’s Advisory Council
on Asian Pacific American Affairs, on which she later served as vice chair. She also was appointed to the MI Women’s Commission (MWC) in 2009 by Governor Graham and later re-appointed by Governor Rick Snyder.
Kommareddi served as chair of the MWC Human Trafficking Initiative from 2011 to 2016. She co-founded the Genesee County Human Trafficking Task Force, on which she also served as chair/co-chair of the Public Awareness and Community Outreach Committee. She was also appointed by Governor Rick Snyder as chair of the MIHuman Trafficking Health Advisory Board (2016 – 2022).
Kommareddi also served six years on the State Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights until 2016. She has volunteered on many political campaigns, including being a super volunteer for the Obama presidential campaign in 2007/2008.
Kommareddi is a recipient of the Michigan State Medical Society Award for Community Service, the
Senator Hoon Yun Hopgood award for Leadership & Advocacy, the Dr. Clement Alfred Humanitarian award from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, the Sybyl award and the Crime Victims Advocate Award from the Genesee County Prosecutor’s office. She also received the Martin Luther King Jr. award from the Michigan Democratic Party and the President’s award of the MI chapter of the National Organization of Women (MI NOW).
Kommareddi retired in 2020 from her part-time job as an office manager for an internal medicine practice
in Flint. She has a bachelor’s Degree in psychology & english from Delhi University and a master’s
Degree in sociology from the Delhi School of Economics. She is married to Dr. Prasad Kommareddi
and has two daughters, Madhuri and Mallika.
Kathy Weiner was born in Minneapolis, MN, received a bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Minnesota and then taught 2nd grade. In the mid ’70s she moved to San Pedro Sula, Honduras to teach in a private school and then to serve as an ESL (English as a Second Language) consultant. Kathy and Stu Weiner were married in 1979 in Kansas City, MO during medical school and they have two sons, Brandon and Seth. The final move was made to Grand Blanc, MI in 1987.
Weiner taught accent reduction at the International Institute in downtown Flint, reading and language arts at Valley, tutored students who spoke no English at their sons’ elementary school and has volunteered in various reading literacy programs. In the early ’90s, Weiner set up an ESL program for Jewish Federation’s Russian Resettlement. Summer classes for the new arrivals were held in the clubhouse of Sunridge
apartments, where she trained volunteers and provided instructional materials.
At Congregation Beth Israel, Weiner was recruited to run the Judaica Gift Shop, teach Sunday school, and manage the Gold Room at the annual rummage sale. When the CBI building was sold, Weiner formed an art committee to decide which of the many art pieces should be incorporated into a new chapel at the Temple Beth El building and then devised a plan to transform the library’s book shelves into display areas for ritual items, sculptures and stained glass windows.
Weiner has been active in the Grand Blanc Arts Council since 2000, serving as president, then secretary. She set-up the rotating art masterpiece program in the schools, continues to oversee the installation of the Senior High School Art Scholarship exhibit and displays of local artists.
At the FIA (Flint Institute of Arts), she was trained as a docent and has been giving tours of the museum
for over 10 years.
Weiner currently serves as secretary for the Flint Jewish Federation Board of Directors. She was instrumental in installing art pieces at the new location on Bristol Road, and also for constructing special Jewish themed exhibits, the most recent being the Tree of Life mosaics at the planetarium.
For additional information regarding sponsorships or tickets, contact the Flint Jewish Federation at 810-767-5922.
