MAGAL students celebrate Mitzvah Day and support community

Kindergarten through second-grade students in the Meitin Alliance for Growth and Learning (MAGAL), Temple Israel and Temple Shir Shalom's collaborative religious school, participated in their first annual Mitzvah Day on Sunday, April 8. Toddlers, preschoolers, and parents attending the Bagels & Blocks "me and my grown-up" session also took part in the day after learning about mitzvot, sharing snacks, singing songs, reading a story, and playing games.

All participants created colorful, handmade birthday cards to donate to the Foundation for Foster Children in Winter Park, whose mission is "enhancing the lives of children in foster care through support and advocacy to create opportunities for a brighter future." The Foundation for Foster Children has a Celebration Club that ensures children's birthdays and special achievements are recognized and celebrated with cards, cake, and gifts. The Mitzvah Day birthday cards were brought to the foundation, along with birthday candles, gift bags, and gift cards. In all, MAGAL created about 25 birthday cards and collected more than $350 in gift cards to help the foundation make such purchases as birthday gifts, educational incentives, athletic equipment, prom and interview attire, and more. To carry on the birthday party theme, students also collected cake mix, frosting, and sprinkles throughout March to donate to the JFS Pearlman Food Pantry. Each week, MAGAL students collect food for the pantry based on a fun theme. These hands-on service projects encourage students to focus on the community in which they live and learn about how they can help other people in meaningful ways.

If you are interested in learning more about MAGAL, please stop by the school open house on Sunday, April 29, from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., or visit during religious school hours on Wednesdays from 5 - 6:30 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.