Mitzvah Project Ideas

Description of Organization:
Kulanu was founded in 1994 by a doctor in Maryland who wanted to reach out to lost and dispersed remnants of the Jewish people around the world. Since then, Kulanu has operated on five continents to help Jews isolated from world Jewry and people who wish to reconnect with their Jewish roots to enrich their Jewish learning and practice of Judaism. Today, Kulanu is a network of people with a shared interest in strengthening the global Jewish community and improving the lives of individuals. One important area of Kulanu's work is our collaboration with communities in Asia and Africa on projects for sustainable development and infrastructure improvements. In addition, we operate an online boutique that sells books, CDs, handicrafts and Judaica from and about these communities. You can read more about our work with different communities at www.kulanu.org and order products from www.kulanuboutique.com.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
As a Bar/Bat Mitzvah student, you can connect your friends and family with these marginalized individuals and communities. By educating them about Kulanu, the work it does and the communities we work with, you are forging vital bonds that strengthen all of us. If you choose to fundraise for Kulanu, you support vital work such as building and supporting a primary school and a high school in Uganda that educate Jewish, Christian and Muslim children together in peace. One easy and powerful way to raise money is to write a personal letter about your desire to support Kulanu and include it with your Bar/Bat Mitzvah invitation. This one very simple action often raises $1,000 to $4,000 and students are delighted at how easily they have made a difference. When they include the request in their invitations, even people who can't come to their event can still help with their mitzvah project. Your donors will have the option of either donating online or sending checks directly to Kulanu (not to you). How else can you enrich your celebration and raise awareness about Kulanu? Some examples: • Joel in MD discussed Kulanu's work in Nigeria in his d'var torah, and he arranged for an article in the Washington Jewish Week about Nigerian Jews, Kulanu, and his bar mitzvah project. • Paige in CA set up an exhibit about Kulanu at her bat mitzvah. • Sandon in CT bought Abayudaya music CD's from Kulanu's boutique (www.kulanuboutique.com) and gave them as party favors. • Josh in LA wore a kente cloth tallit from Ghana at his bar mitzvah. For more info, visit http://www.kulanu.org/getinvolved/bar-batmitzvah.php or contact Jonh Cape!

Description of Organization:

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
Youth volunteers can participate in the following two Table to Table emergency food programs: Project Leket: Through the volunteer work of individuals, families and groups, Table to Table picks fruits and vegetables that farmers have decided not to harvest. Volunteers usually pick for 1 – 2 hours. During the year, Project Leket is active at different fields throughout the country. Last year over 12,000 individuals participated in this program. Table to Table distributes all the produce picked by Project Leket volunteers to organizations serving individuals in need. For more information, please contact Daniel Schwartz at 09-744-1757 or daniel@tabletotable.org.il. Sandwich Initiative: Each week day morning in Raanana and Jaffa Table to Table volunteers makes lunch sandwiches for hundreds of economically disadvantaged students. The food helps provide the students with needed nutrition to function well during the school day. The sandwich program sends a clear message to these students that society cares about them. For volunteers groups, it is possible for the sandwich ingredients to be brought to wherever they groups are located in the morning, where the sandwiches will be made. For more information, please contact Zara Provisor at 09-744-1757 or zara@tabletotable.org.il.

Description of Organization:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's School & Youth Programs offer children hands-on experiences that cultivate caring, respect and sharing with others. School & Youth Programs also give schools the opportunity to extend fundraising to the larger community, involving faculty and administration, school service organizations, community businesses and the students' extended families.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
Students can sign up to coordinate a Pennies for Patients program at their school. All materials are provided to run a successful campaign and with the help and support of LLS staff your Bnai Mitzvah Project is sure to be a success!

Description of Organization:
“The Olive Branch” is an animated television show about two characters who live together in the branches of a beautiful Olive Tree. In each one-minute episode, the two friends must find a way to overcome an important problem they are having in the branches of their tree. For example, in one episode, they learn to share a blanket to stay warm. In another, they learn to share the olives that grow in the tree. The stories are performed entirely without words so they can be understood and enjoyed by children everywhere. “The Olive Branch” is the first project produced by the Little Light Foundation, a non-profit (501c3) public charity whose goal is to create original media that will help children around the world learn about conflict resolution and mutual respect. The show was created by Little Airplane's President, Josh Selig (“The Wonder Pets!”) and was inspired by his experiences working with Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem. “The Olive Branch” has been endorsed by UNICEF, Deepak Chopra, and the Archbishop of South Africa, Desmond Tutu. For more information and to view an episode, please visit: www.littlelightfoundation.org.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
A tax deductable donation to Little Light Foundation could fund the production of a new "Olive Branch" segment that will air around the world. Bnai Mitzvah students interested in this landmark initiative will have the opportunity to work with a professional children's television production studio and contribute to the story, participate in various aspects of the production including feedback of storyboard, design, music, and animation. In addition to being a part of a global peace making endeavor, students will also receive limited edition production artwork that they can use for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration.

Description of Organization:
Livnot has been running educational and community service programs for the past 25 years. In the past few years Livnot has expanded their community service programs IN ISRAEL to include volunteers helping renovate and repair homes of the needy, working in soup kitchens, programs for Ethiopian immigrants, the elderly and terror victims in Jerusalem and Tzfat.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
Livnot in Tzfat has a year long Bar Mitzvah program for Ethiopian immigrants, ending with a trip to the Kotel and party for the boys. Livnot in Jerusalem often organizes a day of "chesed" for families that come to Israel to celebrate their child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Description of Organization:

M'Yad L'Yad-Helping Hands was founded in 1998 to serve the working poor, the disabled, the elderly, and others who are in need of financial and emotional support on Long Island. We provide assistance beyond basic necessities, to improve the quality of life and the self-esteem of our Recipients. Recipients are directly matched with Sponsors who send support packages throughout the year. For families who are struggling to pay the rent and buy basic necessities, packages from their Sponsors provide useful extras such as toys, books, new clothes, art supplies, and more. Our program is anonymous, yet personal! Though last names and addresses are not shared, our Sponsors are encouraged to include correspondence in their packages, providing emotional support for struggling Long Islanders who are often socially isolated.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:

Description of Organization:
The MAKE IT COUNT Project provides craft projects to be completed by your guests at a Bat/Bat Mitzvah celebration, and then donated to the charity of your choice. The MAKE IT COUNT KIT comes in your choice of Plush Animals (un-stuffed and ready to be made at your party) or Tote Bags (to be designed with fabric markers and stencils). The MAKE IT COUNT KIT arrives as a complete package which includes all supplies and materials needed for projects, explanation signs, directions, along with party favors to thank your guests for participating, and thorough instructions to make your event project a success.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
The MAKE IT COUNT KIT enables you to invite your friends and family to participate in your Mitzvah project. It is a fun and useful way to celebrate. If you choose the Tote Bag Kit Project, one idea is that you can either collect or invite your guests to bring school supplies, activity books or hygiene products to fill the bags they will be decorating. Then donate the finished bags to families in shelters, children in the hospital or kids in need of educational materials. You can be creative and customize the bag inserts according to the needs and wish list of your favorite charitable organization. The Plush Animal Kit allows your guests to make stuffed animals to go to hospitals, shelters or community centers. The animals are also available separately so that you can set a goal to use the time leading up to your Bar/Bat Mitzvah to stuff as many as you can. It's possible to contribute hundreds of new, hand-made stuffed animals to kids who truly appreciate your generosity.

Description of Organization:

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Jersey grants the wishes of children between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 who have life-threatening medical conditions, to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Currently headquartered in Union, NJ, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Jersey is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization governed by a diverse and respected volunteer Board of Directors. The New Jersey Chapter, founded in 1983 and having granted over 5,700 wishes, serves the entire state of New Jersey. For more information, visit www.wishnj.org.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:

Bar/Bat Mitzvah students can ask friends, family and/or guests to make donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey in lieu of gifts. A special wish will then be "adopted" in the name of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah and they will recieve an Adopt-A-Wish letter describing the child and information on why he or she chose that one magical wish. If the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey receives feedback from that wish in the form of letters or pictures, that will be forwarded on to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah as well. This way, students and their supporters will know exactly who and what their donation is helping to support.

Description of Organization:
Since 1908, Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago has provided food to needy Jewish people in our community. Maot Chitim continues this tradition by delivering over 5,000 boxes of Passover food to our Jewish friends and neighbors in the Chicagoland area, as well as providing bulk shipments of food to special groups. Within the past few years, Maot Chitim have been able to provide the same support for Rosh Hashanah.
These boxes will feed almost 12,000 individuals and families at both Passover and again at Rosh Hashanah allowing them to experience the holidays in a traditional and dignified manner. The recipients of these packages are very grateful for the help.
Perhaps, as important as helping the recipients, we provide an opportunity for all segments of our Jewish community to join together to perform this wonderful Mitzvah. Over 1,500 volunteers-teenagers, seniors and young families-have an eye opening experience packing and delivering food each Holiday. It makes all involved aware of how necessary and inter-twined we are to one another.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
Boys and girls can deliver Holiday food packages with their families. They can also come motzei Shabbat (the night before our delivery) to help put rubber bands around 9,000 dozen eggs (so they don't open up in the food boxes). Children 12 and older (insurance regulations) can come into the warehouse and help put the food into the boxes. Those children 12 and under can also come into the front of the warehouse and help stuff envelopes or Holiday guides into plastic sleeves which go into our boxes.

Description of Organization:
MayaWorks is a collaboration of women from Guatemala and North America whose mission is to empower Maya women to end their cycle of poverty and improve their lives. Volunteers sell MayaWorks products, creating a market for the traditional arts of Mayan artisans. MayaWorks helps artisans transform their skills into a means of financial support for their families and communities.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
Children can host a MayaWorks sale or make a donation to the organization's economic development, educational development or microcredit programs.

Description of Organization:
Founded in 1985, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national, nonprofit agency that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds. Each year, MAZON grants over $3 million to more than 300 carefully screened hunger-relief agencies, including emergency food providers, food banks, multi-service organizations and advocacy groups that seek long-term solutions to the hunger problem.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
Jewish tradition teaches us to deepen our happiness by sharing our joyous celebrations with people in need. It is especially appropriate to do so on the day of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, when a child becomes an adult and accepts responsibility for fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakah. On the day of your bar/bat mitzvah, millions of children in America and around the world will go hungry, as they do every day. Taken together, these two things (the tragedy of hunger and the happiness of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah) represent the joy and sorrow of life. Both deserve your family's attention. In the spirit of our Jewish tradition, please consider giving 3% of the cost of your celebration to MAZON. Make this day even more special by providing food and other help, through MAZON, to poor families everywhere. You will enrich their lives -and your own.

Description of Organization:
Meals-on-Wheels of White Plains is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to delivering nutritious meals to homebound residents of White Plains. Meals are delivered Monday-Saturday by dedicated volunteers.

Bnai Mitzvah Projects or Volunteer Opportunities offered by the organization for children ages 11 - 13:
We have two routes on Saturdays that can be filled by families who are interested in delivering meals to homebound residents of White Plains.

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