My favorite thing about being Jewish is all of the special holidays that we celebrate. Discussing the meaning of the holidays each time reignites my excitement about my religion.  Also, being Jewish gives me a sense of community and belonging and reminds me that no matter where I go in the world, all Jewish people welcome each other with open arms.  Becoming a bat mitzvah is the culmination of Hebrew school, Sheva and studying the Torah.  With all this knowledge, I can now move forward into adulthood with a greater love of Judaism.  As a Jewish adult, I will continue to remind myself of the importance of being Jewish and to keep it close to my heart.

The most obvious reason I chose my mitzvah project is my love of sports, specifically basketball.  I have been so fortunate to receive group and private training year round as well as play on a travel team and my school team.  Many children are not as lucky.  Therefore, together with my travel team coach, Coach Randall, I helped less fortunate kids become better basketball players by training them with all the knowledge that I have been given.  It made me happy to see their faces when they got the lay up right or make a foul shot.  I hope to continue volunteering, as I get older.

Delanie is the daughter of Richard and Caren Hill.  She is the sister of Bayleigh and Ethan Hill. She is the granddaughter of the late Jack and Marlene Levins of Great Neck, NY as well as Eleanor and the late  Benjamin Hill of Peabody, MA.  Send notes of mazal tov to Caren Hill and/or Richard Hill.