Samantha & Danni Schneiderman, United Hebrew Congregation

Wanting to help improve the lives of those less fortunate, sisters, Samantha and Danni Schneiderman chose two organizations to support for their b’nai mitzvah projects. They are the daughters of Jodi and Jeff Schneiderman of Chesterfield.

Flyers were sent to family and friends letting them know that each sister was collecting specific items that would be donated. Over a three-month period, the boxes in their garage filled to the brim.

Samantha collected gently used coats for the Little Bit Foundation, a local organization that serves 14 St. Louis area schools where 90 to 100 percent of the students are at or near the poverty level. She said, “I collected 62 coats and felt good knowing that even at a young age, I could help others less fortunate than myself.”

Danni collected gently used shoes for the Fenton-based Shoeman Water Project, which collects and exports shoes to places like Haiti, Kenya and South America. The shoes are sold and funds raised are used for clean water programs in communities around the world. Danni collected 290 pair of shoes.

“I chose this project because I felt that it is horrible that we take the clean water that comes out of our faucets for granted,” she said. “Most people in third-world countries don’t have clean water. They drink the contaminated water knowing that it is going to make them sick, however, it’s either die of disease or die of dehydration,” Danni added.

When Danni and Samantha, students at Parkway Central Middle School, delivered the shoes and coats, they were able to take a tour of each organization. Danni was lucky enough to meet George Hutchings, the man who started Shoeman Water Project and said that he told them his entire story of how he got started. “It was very neat and it felt good knowing I was making a difference.