(Editors note: This article was presented by Kayla Wolfson, a sixth-grade student at The RASG Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach. Kayla’s bat mitzvah project can act as a role model for all.)
About six months ago my parents and I started discussing ideas for a mitzvah project in honor of my bat mitzvah. I wanted to do something unique that would be meaningful to me and also do something that my friends could participate in. Immediately I thought of an organization called Sharsheret.
Sharsheret supports Jewish women and their families facing breast and ovarian cancer. My parents and I did some research and found out more information about a project of Sharsheret’s called Pies for Prevention. Since I love to bake, this seemed like the perfect fit.
Pies for Prevention is a bake sale for Thanksgiving. The idea came about from two women after their mother, Stephanie Sussman, passed away in 2006 from ovarian cancer at the age of 63 and then their grandmother, Ann Nadrich, passed away from ovarian cancer at age 92 in 2009. They wanted to do something special and meaningful to honor their memories. Since their mother was a wonderful cook and baker, Adeena Sussman and Sharon Weider thought a bake sale benefiting Sharsheret’s Ovarian Cancer Program would be a perfect match.
The Bake Sale began four years ago with locations in Teaneck, N.J., and Manhattan. Since then they have added Atlanta; Sharon, MA; West Orange, NJ; Great Neck, NY; Englewood, NJ; East Brunswick, NJ; and now this year, Miami. This project has raised more than $80,000 as well as awareness of Sharsheret’s amazing accomplishments and support network.
The girls in the sixth-grade class came over on Sunday to help me bake over 125 pies. Each pie was pre-ordered and sold for $18. I was able to raise over $3,000 for Sharsheret. I am proud to have donated all the ingredients we used for the pies and I am proud to have participated in such an incredible mitzvah project in honor of my bat mitzvah.