Mikey Espinosa and Stefen Shapiro of Plainview, New York are doing a great Bar Mitzvah Project together that we wanted to share.
Mikey’s Bar Mitzvah will be held on April 9, 2016 and Stefen’s Bar Mitzvah on February 6, 2016. Both boys are video game and football fanatics so for their joint Mitzvah Project, they decided to host a flag football event Sunday, October 18, 2015, in Plainview, New York.
The clever name, the M.E.S.S.(for the boy’s initials) Flag Football Warrior Bowl.
Pictured L-R: Mikey and Stefen.
The organizations that will benefit their project are: Wounded Warriors, Rangers Lead the Way; and Building Homes for Heroes.
We asked the boys for more information:
MM: Can you give us details of your Mitzvah Project?
ME/SS: We are both avid video game players and football fanatics. We decided to raise money for wounded soldiers and their families by hosting a community flag football event.
MM: Does your project have a start and end date, if so what are they?
ME/SS: The event is on Sunday, October 18, 2015 in Plainview, New York.
MM: Why did you decide to take on this particular project?
ME/SS: We both love the Call of Duty game on Xbox and it inspired we to create a “call of duty” in helping our service men and women.
MM: In your own words, what does it mean to you to do a Mitzvah Project for your Bar Mitzvah?
Stefen: “Doing a Mitzvah Project for my Bar Mitzvah makes me feel good that I am helping others in need. I hope to continue to raise money and volunteer my time to help.”
Mikey: “I really want to help support our military and the soldiers in need of help.”
MM: If it involves a donation, what are you doing to spreading the word?
ME/SS: We have handed flyers out at school, at sports event and around the community. We have elected team captains to help organize and recruit players. We have also solicited local businesses for donations from the community.
MM: How long can people donate to this charity?
ME/SS: We are collecting money on www.gofundme.com/warriorbowl up until the day of the event. We just reached over $7,000 which was our goal but we want more donations!!
MM: Anything else we need to know about your Mitzvah Project?
ME/SS: The community really supported the flag football event. We created t-shirts and have a 9th grader, who is a DJ, helping with music. We also have food trucks coming to the event.
For registration and location information on this great Mitzvah Project, contact Mom Heather Shapiro at 516-445-4588 or Danielle Espinosa at 516-993-0610.
We wish Mikey and Stefen good luck with their event!
