Mitzvah Day efforts come full circle

Mitzvah Day efforts come full circle

By Eliana Mandel-Carsen

Being part of the Jewish community has always been a very important part of who I am. Participating in Jewish education, community events, and fundraising endeavours are some of the many ways that this community is part of my life.

For the past four years I have had the pleasure of being on the Jewish Federation of Ottawa Mitzvah Day Committee. This year, one of our projects was making blankets for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). It was a wonderful project where children tied two pieces of fleece together to make a lovely, soft blanket.

A month after Mitzvah Day, I had the unique opportunity of seeing our efforts come full circle when Koby and Jonah, my 13-month-old twins, were admitted to CHEO on March 5 for a couple weeks.

While we were there, one of the amazing and dedicated volunteers on 4 East gave us two warm, soft and plush blankets that had been made in the community and donated to CHEO. As soon as she brought the blankets into the room I recognized them as the blankets we had made on Mitzvah Day.

While I always knew the philanthropic endeavours of the Ottawa Jewish community were important and meaningful, this very personal experience really emphasized the importance of these programs. I feel so very fortunate to be part of this wonderful community.