Dani's No-Sew Mitzvah Project
My name is Dani Weinstein and, as most of you know, I am 13 years old. I will have my bat mitzvah ceremony, signaling my transition to Jewish adulthood, this summer in Israel with my family. I am so fortunate to have this opportunity as well as many others in my life. Jewish tradition asks that we perform "mitzvot," or acts of loving kindness throughout our lives and I am undertaking a project in honor of my bat mitzvah to make "no-sew" lap blankets for a shelter near my home. Art projects are some of my favorite activities and I thought it would be a good idea to combine something I love to do with something that needs to be done!
This December, the Tri-Valley Haven in my community will distribute holiday bags to low-income seniors and include these handmade lap blankets. It gets very cold here in Northern California during the winter months and the holiday season can be very sad, lonely and difficult for many people. The Tri-Valley Haven is an organization that helps adults and children who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, or homelessness. I know these blankets will be put to good use.
I was first introduced to putting "no-sew" blankets together at my own temple during a program for middle school girls this past year. In addition, each member of my volleyball team made her own blanket. They kept us comfortable during the season while we were waiting outside in the cold morning air and throughout the day for our games to begin. This gave me a sense of how hard it must be to survive without enough clothing to keep warm.
My goal is to make 175 blankets, only 1/2 of what is actually needed, on May 31, 2015 with your help.
I will continue to try and raise funds through December, but your support now would be greatly appreciated. The fabric to make 1 blanket costs approximately $15, yet any contribution will help tremendously. Please consider donating to make my mitzvah project a reality!
In addition, if you would like to help make the blankets with me on May 31st, please respond to the following Evite and join in the fun!
http://evite.me/NrFNdrTfty
Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Dani