Community-Wide Mitzvah Day - April 29, 2007

Did you make any resolutions recently? Yes, we all have good intentions and some resolutions to get fulfilled, while others fall by the wayside. But, here’s one you can make and fulfill.

Resolve right now to get rid of some things around the house you no longer use. What kinds of things? Well, organizations that benefit from Mitzvah Day can use clothing in good repair, shoes, small household appliances, and books. We can also use soap, shampoo, combs and brushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and small bottles of lotion. But that’s not all. School supplies (e.g., pens, pencils, colored markers, paper, glue, rulers, and scissors) are also needed. Cans and boxes of non-perishable food items are also welcome. Now you know what items we need, what do you do with them? Just bring them to Temple Beth-El on Mitzvah Day, and our organizers will take care of the rest. It’s that simple!

All four synagogues in Tarrant County will be participating on Mitzvah Day. This is a wonderful opportunity for you and your family to volunteer and provide assistance to a local organization in Arlington or Fort Worth. To make this a family event, students who want to participate in Mitzvah Day activities will be granted an excused absence from Sunday school.

Mitzvah Day activities will include the following:
1. Mission Arlington - sorting donated goods (perishable
food, clothing, furniture). This activity will take place at
Mission Arlington starting at 1:30 p.m. Contact Ben
Weiger for details.
2. All Church Home for Children - indoor/outdoor maintenance
work for the church.
3. Habitat for Humanity - help build a house.
4. Hebrew Rest Cemetary - cleanup project.
5. Community Hospice - put together goodie bags for
hospice patients. This is done at Temple Beth-El. (Good
project for families with young kids.)
6. YWCA: Mission Metroplex - collect donated goods, sort
them on on Mitzvah Day at Beth-El.
7. Oak Park Retirement Home - visit residents at a retirement
home.
8. Cards for Soldiers - write cards to soldiers at war. At
Beth-El. It is appropriate for kids over five years of age,
and many families enjoy it.
9. Gladney Center for Adoption - This is similar to Community
Hospice. Goodie packages are made at Beth-El.
10. Ronald McDonald House - lunches are prepared at
Ronald McDonald House, then taken to Fort Worth
hospitals for parents of sick children, as well as nurses.
11. Tarrant Food Bank - sorting perishable foods.
12. Jewish Social Services - we will be collecting paper
goods and cooking oil for this project.
13. Knitting Project - participants will make a small item,
like baby caps, for distribution to John Petersmith
Hospital.
14. Big Brothers and Sisters - roller skating with kids
looking for a Big Brother or Big Sister.
15. Carter Blood Care - bloodmobile will be at Beth-El
from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for those interested in
donating blood.
16. Women’s Center - participants will make puppets at
Beth-El to give to the children of clients at the Women’s
Shelter.

If you are interested in volunteering for one of these activities, please fill out the attached Mitzvah Day registration form. You can email the form to Susan LaMere (sglam@charter.net), or mail/fax the form to Beth-El. Please also notify Ben Weiger on or before April 5, if you are interested in volunteering at Mission Arlington.

The Mitzvah Day organizers plan to order some t-shirts for sale on Mitzvah Day, but there is no guarantee they will have enough t-shirts for a given shirt size. Therefore, if you want a Mitzvah Day t-shirt that fits your size, mail a $5 check to Beth-El before April 13. Our congregation will be listed as a co-sponsor on the t-shirt.

We promise you a meaningful and fulfilling day of mitzvot. Mitzvah Day begins at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 29, in the Great Hall at Beth-El. Enjoy a breakfast of coffee, juice, and bagels, venture forth to an activity of fun and fulfillment, then savor a Mitzvah Day lunch.

On your way out the door, stop in at the Carter Bloodmobile in the parking lot and give the gift of life. We encourage you and your family to participate during our community-wide Mitzvah Day activities.

For more information contact Ben Weiger at 817-860- 5165, or by email to weiger@sbcglobal.net.