We are delighted that our younger congregants are working to improve our world.
Here are their Mitzvah Projects:
I started taking cake decorating classes when I was eight years old and I fell in love with it! Since then I’ve made all sorts of baked goods. During Covid, I decided to start baking more and donating the profits to charities important to me. That’s how Baked for Good started. Since my bat mitzvah wasn’t that far away, it was a natural decision to make this my bat mitzvah project. I have already donated hundreds of dollars, and while I’ve taken a break as I prepare for my bat mitzvah, I’m excited to get back to baking and decorating soon. The organizations I have chosen are: American Cancer Society because my papa had bladder cancer and I hated when he was sick; Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation because I have this autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the GI tract and I hope one day there is a cure so I don’t have so many days when I don’t feel well; JDRF because my sister was diagnosed with type one when she was three and JDRF is leading the research to turn type one into type none; and Phoenix Children’s Hospital because my sister and I are both patients at PCH and the doctors and nurses have made very significant impacts in our lives and we are lucky to have such a great place to go when we have to. You can visit bakedforthegood.org for more information.
Yael loves animals including her 2 dogs and 2 guinea pigs. For her Bat Mitzvah project, she will be working with a dog shelter to provide money, goods, and services to animals.
Brianna’s mitzvah project is participating in the Social Action Committee’s event of “Baking for the Immigrant Welcome Center.” Once a month, Brianna meets with the other Or Tzion volunteers, and together they make scones and cornbread for the new immigrants. These items are then delivered to the Immigrant Welcome Center so that the immigrants have a freshly baked breakfast.
Brianna has also volunteered at the Immigrant Welcome Center, boxing up toiletries for the new immigrants.
Skylar & Samara are donating their time to the local Boys & Girls Club, which works to keep kids safe by providing them with a positive environment where they can learn, play and grow. They are members of the Torch Club, which is a division within the Boys & Girls Club that focuses on middle school-aged volunteers. The girls will meet weekly with the head of the Torch Club and the other student volunteers to learn about the activities occurring that week at the Boys & Girls Club and select which to help with. They will be volunteering with younger kids by tutoring them, helping with homework, or coaching them in sports. Skylar & Samara are proud to be in a position to help further the mission of the Boys & Girls Club.