For my mitzvah project, I worked at my schools summer program. I helped children of different ages learn to read, write and other children I helped complete a play. A quote from the Talmud, an additional book of studies about the torah and Judaism that sums up my mitzvah project is "The world endures for the sake of the breath of schoolchildren." This sums up my mitzvah project
because, seeing the kids I was helping was a great incentive for me to wake up before lunchtime.

As a result of my interest for reading and writing, I decided to volunteer at George F. Johnson Memorial Library. Public libraries are a vital resource in our community providing access to material for both educational and recreational purposes. Since a very close friend of the family, Cathy Seary, is one of the librarians there, I figured I wouldn’t feel too awkward working there with people who were older than I was. Another reason I picked volunteering at the library is because I know that they are under-funded and sometimes short-staffed. I felt that if I volunteered there, I could help take the workload off of some of the staff. I did a number of things while I was at the library. I put away books and organized the entire Young Adult section, (and found some pretty good reads while I was doing it). Also, I shelved books in the Romance and Science Fiction section. I got some of the harder jobs too, such as shelf reading throughout the adult section, trying to organize all the out of place books. Then there were the “boring jobs” as Cathy called them. Basically it was stapling newsletters and cataloging books on the computer. My fingers definitely were exercised a lot in my time at the library.

My mitzvah project was that I went and volunteered at a local cat shelter. The Torah teaches us to be kind to animals. When God talks about resting on the Sabbath, God says even animals are supposed to rest on the Sabbath. I learned that, everyone needs to be helped animal or human. After doing this mitzvah I felt like I had really helped an animal that needed it. It was important to me because I had always loved to help even if they didn’t need and I loved to take care of animals.

For my mitzvah project I am collecting books to bring to a public school in Mount Vernon, NY that is trying to create a new library. They have not had new children’s books in 30 years and don’t have much funding. I am asking for donations of books for grades Pre-K thru 6th. Books can be new, or used in like-new condition. Donations can be made through September 18th (Collecting through Rosh Hashanah). There will be a collection box in the lobby at Temple Concord. Thank you in advance to all who donate!

For my Mitzvah project I hope to become involved with the Special Olympics. Through the Special Olympics I want to be able to coach a special needs child. I want to sharpen the child's athletic skills. Like Caleb and Joshua in the Torah, I hope to help them believe in themselves. Hopefully, I will also be able to spend time with the selected child, working to improve the child's skills doing my favorite sport, basketball.

For my Bar Mitzvah, I chose a mitzvah project dealing with the elderly. Many people think a mitzvah is a good deed, which it is, but it literally means “commandment.” The mitzvah I did was that I helped out at Willow Point, a nursing home where my Grandma Dahlgren lives. Even though I just started volunteering, I learned that the most rewarding thing you can do is help people out. The people who benefited from my mitzvah were the residents, because they love to see young people, and the workers, because I gave them a break. I felt like I was on cloud 9 after helping the people because the biggest joy in life is putting a smile on someone’s face.

For my Mitzvah Project I collected school supplies to send to Afghanistan. I wanted to send school supplies over to Afghanistan because many children are now finally going back to school. This also tied in with my Torah reading because in the reading it says that a person who says the Lord's Name in blasphemy is taken out of camp and stoned. This would also happen to kids in Afghanistan, especially the girls, who tried to learn while the people in rule wouldn't let them. The difference is that in the Torah portion, the person did something wrong, while in Afghanistan, the girls should have been allowed to go to school. I learned from this mitzvah that it doesn't take a lot to help other people and in the end you feel really good that you did it. I hope the Afghani children benefit from this a lot so they can learn freely. This mitzvah made me feel very good because I helped in taking part of making a change in the world and for many children's lives. This Mitzvah Project was very important because these children can now have supplies to learn with and it can change their lives.

Ron participated in the World Union for Progressive Judaism's B'nai Mitzvah Twinning program. He was matched with a religious school student who is a member of the Reform Synagogue in Mevaseeret Zion, Israel. This program aims to strengthen the bond between Jewish children in the United States and Israel. The program helps to support World Union for Progressive Judaism's educational initiatives throughout Israel.

Along with becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I had to do a mitzvah project. I volunteered to help out at the Humane Society. Along with that, Sarah Jane and I raised 200 dollars selling pizza, chips and soda which we gave to the animal shelters. In one of the prayers we read in temple, God says to help the needy or poor. In volunteering I am helping the needy animals that don't have a home. In doing this mitzvah the most interesting thing I learned was that so many animals don't have a home. It's very sad to see all these animals deprived of love and a good home. After doing this Mitzvah project I felt good inside. I felt happy that I was helping somebody.