Jacob Andreasson

Congregation Temple Israel

Wanting to carry on his grandfather’s legacy at the Boys and Girls Town in St. James, Mo., Jacob reached out to his friends to help him create a special day of sports for the 30 children who reside there. His grandfather, Bill “Pop” Wallis, was a very active volunteer who served on the Board of Directors. He died in March 2001 of melanoma.

Son of Rachel and Thomas Andreasson of Sullivan, Mo., Jacob made sure that the resident kids were going to have a fun time. He set up several sports stations such as a football throw, basketball hoops, washer games, a baseball throw, and an obstacle course. Jacob and his friends were team leaders; each had about five kids on a team. Everyone enjoyed lunch together and at the end of the day, each child went home with a sports bag, water bottle and Frisbee. “It was hard to tell who enjoyed it more, Jacob and his friends or the kids at Boys and Girls Town,” said Rachel Andreasson.

In lieu of gifts for his bar mitzvah, Jacob requested that his guests make a donation to the Bill Wallis Recreation Center on the Boys and Girls Town campus in his honor. He wanted the money to go towards new sports equipment. After collecting $5,296, Jacob, a student at Sullivan Middle School, realized that with a little effort in showing that you care, one can really make an impact on his or her life.

“I think that helping others by taking action before one is asked and mending the world through acts of love and kindness is the way I want to try and live my life and carry on the examples others set before me,” said Jacob. “The programs at the Boys and Girls Town of Missouri provide care and compassion that help children and their families succeed and flourish. “I know Pop would be very proud of me,” he added.

Charlie O’Gorman

Temple Israel

Tikkun olam, “repairing the world”, was the basis for Charlie’s mitzvah project. The beginning of his project helped people with their spring-cleaning and recycling while the ending put smiles on everyone’s face. 

Son of Sheri and Sean O’Gorman of the Central West End, Charlie contacted three local charities to see if they would accept donations of recycled board games. All were very receptive. He asked the Ronald McDonald House for their families with children being treated at local hospitals, the Karen House for families in crisis, and the Brentmoor Retirement Community.

With a green light from these charities, he requested that the community support his project. Fellow students and facility and staff at Crossroads College Preparatory School cleaned out their closets. The community of Temple Israel joined him over a three-week toy drive and generously gave. Family and friends joined in and donated piles of board games as well. Every major toy brand was represented, from the Game of Life to Chutes and Ladders, from Monopoly to Trivial Pursuit (all 12 versions).

Charlie then assessed the games for quality, type, and suitability before sorting them into groups for children, families and seniors. He realized that something was missing from the seniors’ pile, Bingo. So, taking an advance from the gifts he received for his bar mitzvah, he purchased the “Deluxe Bingo” to round out the selection. All in all there were over 100 items donated. Next, Charlie shrink-wrapped the games into groups of six to 10 games. These gift-wrapped piles were then shared with the guests at his bar mitzvah luncheon as centerpieces, decorated with ribbons and balloons.

Removed from dark closets, reclaimed and reused as centerpieces, these games had one more stop on their journey. The Ronald McDonald House games were immediately put to use: Two girls who were very disappointed because they missed their eighth grade graduation were given the pick of the pile. 

The Karen House families used their games to relieve some of the stress the families face. “Charlie gets a special thrill when he visits his grandmother at the Brentmoor and sees that everyone is using the bingo game,” said his mother, Sheri. 

“Charlie helped the community by giving them an opportunity to generously put smiles on faces of hundreds of people in need. Tikkun olam may have gained a secondary meaning: repairing the world…one smile at a time,” she added.