Justin Goldenberg  

Congregation Shaare Emeth

Justin, son of Kim and Steve Goldenberg of Creve Coeur, really appreciates the education he receives at MICDS. He knows there are other schools in St. Louis that provide wonderful opportunities to its students but have to rely heavily on community donations. Lift for Life Academy (LFLA) is one of those schools. Located in the city of St. Louis, it serves 580 students in grades 6-12. 

Wanting to make a difference, Justin and several family members got up at 6:30 on a July Sunday morning and headed to the LFLA campus, with paint brushes in hand, along with buckets and buckets of paint. He and his crew went to work painting high school classrooms so they would look refreshed for the coming school year. They spent the better part of a day making their classrooms look brighter. 

Because it was important to Justin that the school have the proper supplies and learning tools for the students, he donated a portion of his bar mitzvah money to purchase computer headsets, uniforms for the sports teams, reading incentives, reading books, and art supplies for the entire middle school. 

Justin also donated to the admission fee for some of the 7^th graders with financial challenges to participate in a field trip to see the movie “Jerusalem” at the Science Center.

 “I was happy I was able to assist a school that does not have all of the things we have at my school,” he said. “Lift for Life is an amazing place that helps so many people and I was so proud to help.” 

School administrators said Justin’s generosity has touched the lives of their entire middle school and they are forever grateful to him and the Goldenberg family.

Justin’s second mitzvah project was with Challenger Baseball because he enjoys spending time with children. This organization allowed him to work directly with the kids. Justin was a buddy each week to a different player on the field, assisting him if he needed help and was a friend to them all.

Justin said, “I wanted to help make it possible for children with special needs to have fun and make new friends while participating in an organized sports program. It made me feel good to be able to help them enjoy playing baseball.”  

Challenger Baseball is a league for kids and adults with developmental disabilities.  Players not only have a great time playing baseball, but also experience pulling together as a team, being cheered on by a crowd and encouraged by their peers.   

— Mitzvot from the Heart is compiled by Editorial Assistant Elise Krug.