Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan

My name is Talia Kalay, and I’m having a Bat Mitzvah in May. Becoming a Bat Mitzvah symbolizes becoming an adult within the Jewish community and taking on more responsibility. When you have a Bat Mitzvah, one of the many things you do to prepare is a mitzvah project, a social action or community service project to put Jewish values and identity into practice. This project is a way for me to uniquely express how I can help community and repair the world (“Tikkun Olam”). For my mitzvah project, I have chosen to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Make-a-Wish is a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to kids between the ages of two and nineteen. This gives kids a chance to have an incredible experience of their choosing instead of dealing with their illness (like always feeling sick, dealing with medical tests or being in the hospital). I've been hearing about Make-a-Wish for as long as I can remember. My mom used to be a wish granter and has been telling me about her experiences as a volunteer wish granter. Those stories have had an impact on me and have made me feel strongly about the organization. Make-a-Wish is important to me because I want to help kids be kids.