When you hear the word “mitzvah” two things typically come to mind – the word “commandment” as well as an act of kindness or a good deed. The Jewish community prides itself on doing good deeds, and by doing a mitzvah project, youngsters learn to follow in their parents’ footsteps and take on the communal responsibility of being a man or woman.
As adolescent boys and girls become bar/bat mitzvah, it has become commonplace for kids to take on a mitzvah project and step into the community as a socially responsible individual. Mitzvah projects challenge youngsters to think of ways they can volunteer to make their community – or the world – a better place, and signify a true right of passage as an adult in the Jewish community.
Many youngsters often opt to volunteer in a community service project or raise funds for a special cause, yet the opportunities are endless and choosing a valuable mitzvah project takes a lot of thoughtful consideration and time. But with so many worthy causes and organizations in our area it can sometimes be hard to choose. Here are a few options to get the creative juices flowing.
UJA-Federation of New York
UJA’s Give a Mitzvah – Do a Mitzvah program offers youngsters hands-on philanthropy and social action projects that allow them to take their place in the Jewish community in a meaningful way. UJA staff is there to help “turn passions into actions,” says Donna Divon, manager of community volunteer services for UJA Westchester. “It’s exciting to meet young people and hear how they want to help make a difference in our world.”
UJA works with each participant to create a volunteer project tailored to his or her personal interests. “Kids have different interests and passions, and we give them the freedom for what they want to do,” says Divon. She’s inspired by the power and potential of kids and what they do for the community through these projects. “When you lead another person to a mitzvah, it’s a joy and you feel like you’ve done a mitzvah of your own,” she says.
The process begins with an interview with a mitzvah coordinator to get to know the child and family, and together they create a volunteer project based on the child’s passions and hobbies.
Projects range in scope and financial commitment; it’s up to the child and what they’d like to do. Whether it’s outfitting a soccer team in Israel with uniforms, balls and equipment or raising money to buy a wheelchair for a local kid so he can play basketball with his friends, there’s a project for everyone.
UJA works with nearly 100 agencies in a variety of areas including mental heath, hunger, poverty, trauma, education and more. “If you have a cause, we can find an agency that needs your help,” says Divon. [email protected]
Furniture Sharehouse
Westchester County’s only furniture bank, Furniture Sharehouse collects gently used furniture and redistributes the items to impoverished Westchester families, free of charge. Their contributions, and the contributions from mitzvah projects, help turn empty apartments into comfortable homes.
They’re always eager to receive support from youth volunteers, and mitzvah projects usually involve collecting items for their warehouse like lamps, mirrors or small kitchen appliances.
Furniture drives are also popular projects, and they’re a great way to get the whole family involved. “We had one family who rented a truck and drove around collecting furniture and other small items from friends, family and neighbors,” says Kate Bialo, executive director of Furniture Sharehouse. “Another family bought IKEA furniture for an event they were hosting instead of renting furniture, and then donated the furniture to us after the event.” Youngsters can organize any kind of drive that they want.
If a child is interested in volunteering with Furniture Sharehouse, he or she could create a fundraiser for a specific item that is in high demand for underprivileged families. “We’re always getting requests for beds, especially for toddlers and kids, but we never have enough,” says Bialo. “Toddler beds are relatively inexpensive and kids could create a fund to help purchase these items for our younger clients.” furnituresharehouse.org
Yes She Can, Inc.
Yes She Can operates Girl AGain, a resale boutique for American Girl dolls and accessories in White Plains, a place for young women with autism to learn job and social skills needed for the workplace. They teach these women all the aspects of store operations including preparing merchandise, customer interaction and sales.
Young girls can channel their love of American Girl dolls into a purposeful mitzvah project with Yes She Can by volunteering to help collect merchandise for the store and organizing drives to collect gently used dolls, accessories and books.
“It’s an ideal project for any girl who loves dolls or has a connection to autism,” says Marjorie Madfis, president of Yes She Can. “But it takes more than just leaving a donation box outside of your synagogue, success depends on the ambition of the girl. It’s more of an engaging project that involves talking to girls about their doll collection, sharing our mission and encouraging them to donate their dolls to a good cause.”
Girls can also help out in the store as part of their volunteer project, and many often help sort the items they’ve collected and prep the dolls and accessories for resale. yesshecaninc.org
Christina Cook is an editorial assistant with Westchester Family.
