Alex and his family have been involved with Friends of Kids with Cancer for the past nine years. His 10-year old sister, Blair, is a cancer survivor. So it was a no surprise when he chose to support this organization for his mitzvah project. Son of Karen and Ken Dubinsky of Chesterfield, Alex volunteered at many of their events held throughout the year.

At the annual trivia night, Alex was a “ball boy,” getting his table whatever they needed throughout the evening. His mother was in charge of the volunteers and asked Alex and several of his friends to help out. She said, “Alex is great with adults, especially when he is volunteering for a Friends event.  He knows how to respect the adults and also have fun with them.” 

Selling raffle tickets at a Blues game was also a lot of fun for Alex. The winning ticket won a bronze statue of Hall of Fame Blues player, Brett Hull. 

“I loved being a part of all of the events, but the fashion show was my favorite because I got to directly help a kid with cancer,” said Alex, who was an escort for one of the models.  He told his model that if he would dance silly on the runway, he would paint his own nails pink. Alex kept the polish on for at least one day at school. “He loved telling the story about how he bribed his model. The kids at school all thought it was so awesome that he got to be an escort and all of his friends had fun showing the other kids at school how he had his nails polished,” said his mother. 

And, last but not least, Alex contributed some of his bar mitzvah money towards the centerpieces used at his brunch.  Each centerpiece included toys that were donated to the Friends’ toy closet; stuffed animals, crafts, musical instruments, toys to build for the boys and pink items for the girls. 

A student at Crestview Middle School, Alex said he is looking forward to volunteering at Friends of Kids with Cancer in the future because of all the joy he gets from it and how much it helps the kids.

Friends of Kids with Cancer is devoted to enriching the daily lives of children undergoing treatment for cancer and blood related diseases. Their mission is to be an advocate for these special kids and provide them and their families with the recreational, educational, and emotional support needed throughout the long hours of treatment, illness and isolation.  To make a donation in Alex’s honor or for more information, please visit their web site at www.friendsofkids.com.