March 13, 2008
Name: Allison Edelstein
Age: 12
Town of residence: Livingston
School and grade: Seventh-grader at Heritage Middle School and student at religious school of Temple Emanu-El of West Essex in Livingston.
Project: For children affected by Hurricane Katrina, Allison is collecting toys and books to be distributed through the Jewish Children’s Regional Services, a 150-year-old social service agency that assists children in a seven-state region of the southeastern United States.
Allison Edelstein among some of the toys and books she has collected for the children who were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
She previously collected 14 cartons of gently used toys and books that she sent to JCRS for distribution last Hanukka. She is asking guests at her May 17 bat mitzva celebration to bring toys and books to add to the four cartons she has so far collected to be given to youngsters next Hanukka. The gifts are also given to children with special needs and to others for life-cycle events, graduations, and other special occasions throughout the year.
Why: Right after the hurricane struck New Orleans and the levees broke, Allison (who was 10 at the time) was reading the newspaper and saw photos of people who had lost everything. With the help of Emanu-El’s Rabbi Mark Kaiserman, Allison organized a group of friends to take action to help the victims of the storm. She designed beaded bracelets using the words “faith” and “hope” as the centerpiece and sold them over a three-week period. The group sent approximately $1,000 to the Union for Reform Judaism Hurricane Relief effort.
To contribute: Allison is accepting donations of gently used toys and books; she can be reached via email.
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