Benjamin Remis, Congregation Shaare Emeth

A firm believer in camp, Ben raised money “so that other kids could spend a week in nature with some of the best people on the planet.” Son of Sharon and William Remis of Ladue, Ben hosted a tennis event at Creve Coeur Racquet Club. All proceeds benefited Camp Rainbow, a week-long camp for children with cancer and other blood-related diseases. What follows is Ben’s first-hand account of his mitzvah project:

Every summer for the past four years I have gone to Camp Timberlane in Wisconsin for four weeks. It is so much fun, and camp is a big part of me. I donated the money to Camp Rainbow because I want every kid, no matter their health, to have a chance to spend a week in nature with some of the best people on the planet. I chose to help Camp Rainbow by hosting a tennis event, because tennis is my favorite sport.

I sent out an invite to my entire 7^th grade class at John Burroughs and 36 were able to attend. The event was held at Creve Coeur Racquet club where we played mixed doubles and ate dinner.   Creve Coeur donated the courts and my parents provided the food so all the money raised could benefit Camp Rainbow.

Every participant paid to play and I ended up raising $1,210 including the donation from myself. Originally, I planned to have a one-night event, but I would like to host another tennis event next winter to benefit Camp Rainbow because we had so much fun and we made such a good impact.

Mitzvot from the Heart is compiled by Elise Krug. To have your child’s mitzvah project featured, email [email protected] or call 314-743-3671.