Lilly Tanenbaum and her family wanted to focus on the mitzvah and the Jewish tradition aspects of her Bat Mitzvah celebration at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA, so they worked with their event planner, Brynne Magaziner of Pop Color Events to make it happen. In keeping the focus on the mitzvah itself, Lilly and her parents created centerpieces with a dual purpose, they both looked elegant and were able to be donated after the event to AFAC, the Arlington Food Assistance Center, a local food pantry. Cans also served as the base for balloons in the event’s colors on the kids’ tables.
Lilly wrote a note which was placed on each table to explain why this was an important cause to her. It said:
“These centerpieces mean a lot to me because the cans you see will be donated to AFAC to help people in my local community who need assistance with food. AFAC stands for Arlington Food Assistance Center. It is important to me to help a lot of people as part of my Bat Mitzvah. Thanks for coming!!
Love, Lilly”
The note also included a statistic from AFAC’s website that Lilly found especially important: “AFAC currently distributes groceries to nearly 2,200 families every week. Over 35% of the people we serve are children. Elderly residents make up nearly 30% of the individuals in our care and must often choose between buying medicine or food.”
Finally, Lilly designed reusable water bottles to give as favors which helped tie the focus on mitzvoth because it encouraged guests to use a reusable water bottle rather than disposable ones. The water bottles were given to kids and out-of-town guests. Lilly and her family were excited to celebrate Lilly’s simcha and perform many mitzvoth at the same time.
Event Planner: Pop Color Events
Photographer: Alison Tremblay
Venue: Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA
Water bottles: Corporate Sports
Catering: New Course Catering
Sign in board: Cutie Patootie Creations
Submitted to www.themitzvahbowl.com by Brynne Magaziner, Pop Color Events