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JAFCO

Rebecca Joseph and Arielle Tetro, both preparing for their Bat Mitzvah’s, are working together to sell flowers, balloons and stuffed animals to raise money for JAFCO. Since all items for sale were donated by Ambler Flower Shop, all of the proceeds will go to JAFCO. JAFCO (Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options) is a non-profit organization providing services to abused and neglected Jewish children through a complete continuum of services including: family preservation, foster care, adoption, mentoring, independent living and the JAFCO Jewish Children’s Village (the only village of its kind in the nation), located in Sunrise, Fl- consisting of a 24-hour emergency shelter and six group homes that provide a residential setting for up to 50 abused and neglected children at one time). For more information contact Director of Northeast Development, Rana Bell at Rana@jafco.org or 610-397-8688.

The Jewish Girl’s Guide to a Bat Mitzvah Project

Hi! My name is Alexandra Kukoff, I am twelve years old, and I am a seventh grade middle school student in Oak Park, California. I also go to Hebrew school at Temple Etz Chaim where I am preparing for my Bat Mitzvah, which is a life changing experience where girls age thirteen become Jewish Adults.

The Jewish Girl’s Guide to a Bat Mitzvah Project is a book I’m compiling that tells the stories of different girls and their Bat Mitzvah projects. The Guide helps girls make decisions about their Bat Mitzvah easily and simply. All proceeds from the book will be donated to Vista Del Mar.

Operation Carmel Renewal: From Black to Green
Jordan Lisse, Upper Dublin, SRMS, 7th grader

After the worst fire in Israel’s history broke out in the Carmel forest in December, 2010, I decided to sell originally designed t-shirts to raise money for the cause. The money that I collected during my fundraiser was donated to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and will be used for the restoration of the forest and to help those affected by this devastating fire.

Nadine’s Blankets

Nadine Silverman, an 8th grader at Sandy Run Middle School, created 18 blankets for Project Linus, which donates blankets to sick children from birth to18 years old. “For each blanket, I did a small good deed and then my mom gave me the money for material. I kept a scrapbook with a page for each good deed and a swatch of material from the blanket I made.”

Gotta Have Sole Foundation, Inc

For Nicholas Lowinger’s bar mitzvah project in November, he started a non-profit company in Providence, Rhode Island called Gotta Have Sole Foundation, Inc. This wonderful organization delivers brand-new footwear to children living in shelters. His wish is to expand his foundation to other states where the need exists. He has held shoe drives at local schools collecting brand new sneakers, shoes, winter boots, and summer footwear. Additionally, he received monetary donations to assist him in achieving his goal. For Providence’s First Annual Mitzvah Day, he will have community members decorate sneakers and flip-flops that will be delivered to the children in need. Creativity and the desire to help others has ignited this young man’s passion to make a difference. For further info: gottahavesole@gmail.com

Honoring a Survivor

Carly Lapidus’ mitzvah project originally started as honoring the memory of a child lost in the Holocaust through RememberUs.org. Her hebrew school teacher learned of her project and introduced her to survivor, Edjia Esther Eiges Hiller, also known as Edie.

She met with Edie, learned all about her life and how her younger brother and the rest of the family did not survive the Holocaust. At Carly’s recent Bat Mitzvah, Edie was invited with her family and honored with an aliyah. Carly used her Bat Mitzvah gift money to purchase a plaque for the children’s garden at the Holocaust Center, Glen Cove, NY. The plaque says ‘we honor and remember your family.’

Millions To Remember

Jenna Steinbrink, a 10th grader at Upper Dublin High School started her mitzvah project two years ago and continues her effort to achieve her dream. Her goal is to collect 6 million pennies. Each penny represents a Jewish life who perished in the Holocaust. All of the pennies are donated to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in New York City. “The Holocaust was a very significant event in history,” Steinbrink states, “and to make sure that something as horrific as this doesn’t happen again, we as a community need to teach others the importance of tolerance. We have an obligation to our future to remember the past and break the cycle of years of hatred, discrimination, racism and intolerance.”

Donations can be made out to “Millions To Remember.” Checks should be sent to: Commerce Bank 929 Horsham Road, Horsham, PA 19044.

Main Line Animal Rescue

Ethan Schwartz and Jonah Zitelli, both 7th graders at Sandy Run Middle School, Upper Dublin, PA, recently organized a Dog Walk (Ethan and Jonah’s Wag ‘n Walk) to raise money for Main Line Animal Rescue.

On June 20, 2010, at Kohler Park, Horsham, PA, participants and their 4-legged friends gathered to walk 2 miles. Ethan and Jonah put together raffle prizes, goody bags (including a frisbee for the dogs), and acquired vendors to attend the event.

With their love of animals as a common interest, they chose to work with Main Line Animal Rescue, because the organization saves puppies and dogs from puppy mills in Pennsylvania and other parts of the country. A large part of their project involved educating the general public about the horrors of puppy mills.

Ethan and Jonah raised over $1800 for Main Line Animal Rescue.