Whiz Kid: Rachel Harvey Makes a Difference with Special Needs Family

Each week, West Bloomfield Patch features students doing amazing things in their schools and in their communities. 

Rachel Harvey

• Age: 15
• School: North Farmington High School
• Achievement: Rachel has made an incredible impact on the lives of a West Bloomfield family, volunteering at the of West Bloomfield as part of the Friends@Home program. Rachel said she and her sister, Gabby Harvey, 13, visit the Jacobs family at their West Bloomfield home once per week for several hours. Jodie and Josh Jacobs have two daughters between the ages of 4 and 6 years. The Friends@Home program paired Rachel with Allie Jacobs, 4, who has a global developmental delay. It's an arrangement which Jodie said has helped Allie tremendously.
  
  "(Rachel) isn't the first person to come over and play with Allie, but she is the best. Allie can tell who is really compassionate and she trusted (Rachel) right away. Being with an older girl who (Allie) can look up to is such a milestone for her development and it's exciting to watch as mom," Jodie said Tuesday.
  
  Rachel said that in addition to volunteering with the Jacobs family, they have asked her to take on an additional role as a babysitter. In her spare time, Rachel is also involved with the Flex Point Performing Arts Center in Farmington, the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization and the NFHS sophomore board. Rachel would like to study speech pathology or pediatrics, a field which Jodie said Rachel is more than suited for.
  
  "You need dedication, patience, love for kids and responsibility, and Rachel is more than qualified," said Jodie, a social worker with a private practice in West Bloomfield. "It's difficult to find babysitters for special needs kids, and we trust them more than almost anyone."

• Key to awesomeness: Rachel seems to truly enjoy what she does with the Jacobs family, pointing to milestones in Allie's development as if they were her own triumphs. "(Allie) is learning to walk and talk, so you have to look at her body language sometimes to really understand what she's trying to say. At first, it was difficult for me, but now it seems we kind of have a connection," Rachel said.
  
  Jodie mentioned that last week, Rachel played peek-a-boo with Allie for 45 consecutive minutes, which she herself does not have the patience for. "I was blown away," Jodie said. "That kind of back-and-forth communication is something we learn as kids and carry over as adults, and Allie is learning that now for the first time."
  
  Essentially, it makes Rachel happy to have Allie for company. "We'll pull up in the driveway and and they’ll be waiting there. They're so cute and they're so happy to see us you always feel like you're helping out. They make me feel special," Rachel said.

Do you know our next Whiz Kid?

West Bloomfield Patch welcomes suggestions for students, youth groups and even sports teams who wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to editor Tim.Rath@patch.com. Please include all these details:

• Nominator's name
• Whiz Kid's name and age
• Whiz Kid's school
• Whiz Kid's accomplishment
• What makes him or her successful