Making a Difference: Bar and Bat Mitzvah Students Support Reach Out and Read

You're never too young to make a difference.

A handful of students in the Boston area are proving this statement true. In addition to studying up for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, they've undertaken community service projects to benefit Reach Out and Read.

Working with classmates, Marjorie Rowe and Maya Alperin, both 12, have organized book drives to stock waiting room shelves at Boston Medical Center pediatric clinics.

Rowe's group has collected close to 2,100 books, and Alperin's group, which includes her friend Micaela Goldstein, has collected 6,500 books.

"It means a lot to me because I love to read," said Maya, who collected books from area residents and schools, as well as from a local bookstore's overstock supply. "I wanted to help other kids get the chance to read."

Isy Mekler, 12, is using art to raise awareness--and funding--for Reach Out and Read. He is asking several local artists to decorate small wooden "trees," which will be displayed at his Bar Mitzvah. The trees will then be sold or auctioned off to benefit Reach Out and Read.

"I remember every night begging my Dad to read to me more," Isy wrote about his "The Giving Tree" project. "He was the driving force that inspired me to enjoy reading. I want to provide other kids with this wonderful gift."

To learn more about these Bar and Bat Mitzvah projects, please email fundraising@reachoutandread.org