Miss-Delectable
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Deaf girl turns bat mitzvah into fundraiser for charities
Generosity and gratitude abounded yesterday as one Purchase girl became a bat mitzvah.
Molly Kestenbaum, 12, decided to turn her special day into a fundraiser.
"My life has been helped by people, and I wanted to use today to help make an impact on other people's lives," said Molly, who is deaf.
"It's important to be happy in life and proud of your accomplishments," she told friends, family and congregants at the Jewish Community Center of Harrison during the service.
One accomplishment Molly can be proud of is using her bat mitzvah to raise money for others.
Another is her mitzvah project, which she began in January as part of the ritual of becoming a Jewish adult.
"So many people made an impact on me, and I wanted to be able to help others," she said.
"She's amazing," said her mother, Elissa Kestenbaum, adding that Molly is mainstreamed in school.
Molly recently received a cochlear implant, an electronic device surgically implanted behind the ear that works by directly stimulating functioning auditory nerves in the inner ear.
Now she can hear words and sounds, emotion and inflection and said she can't imagine what her life would be like without it.
"When she turned it on she said, 'I hear sounds and the birds outside!'" her mother said.
Painting and drawing are Molly's favorite hobbies, so one of the charities to receive proceeds from her bat mitzvah is RxArt, a New York City organization that believes exposure to art is therapeutic.
The other is Children's Hearing Institute in New York City, which supports research, treatment and educational programs for those with hearing loss and profound deafness.
"I feel good knowing I can help because so many people helped me," said the auburn-haired girl.
Last night, a party was held in her honor at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. Her parents, Elissa and Alan Kestenbaum, punctuated their daughter's gesture by purchasing about $100,000 worth of original artwork. Bat mitzvah guests received $1,000 worth of "Molly money" with the names of both charities for bidding to purchase items.
Goody bags provided information about organizations Molly hopes her guests will support, and she will donate her monetary gifts to those groups. She is taking the words she spoke at her bat mitzvah to heart.
"Stay close to friends and family," she said, "be careful of what you say, and have confidence in your abilities."
Generosity and gratitude abounded yesterday as one Purchase girl became a bat mitzvah.
Molly Kestenbaum, 12, decided to turn her special day into a fundraiser.
"My life has been helped by people, and I wanted to use today to help make an impact on other people's lives," said Molly, who is deaf.
"It's important to be happy in life and proud of your accomplishments," she told friends, family and congregants at the Jewish Community Center of Harrison during the service.
One accomplishment Molly can be proud of is using her bat mitzvah to raise money for others.
Another is her mitzvah project, which she began in January as part of the ritual of becoming a Jewish adult.
"So many people made an impact on me, and I wanted to be able to help others," she said.
"She's amazing," said her mother, Elissa Kestenbaum, adding that Molly is mainstreamed in school.
Molly recently received a cochlear implant, an electronic device surgically implanted behind the ear that works by directly stimulating functioning auditory nerves in the inner ear.
Now she can hear words and sounds, emotion and inflection and said she can't imagine what her life would be like without it.
"When she turned it on she said, 'I hear sounds and the birds outside!'" her mother said.
Painting and drawing are Molly's favorite hobbies, so one of the charities to receive proceeds from her bat mitzvah is RxArt, a New York City organization that believes exposure to art is therapeutic.
The other is Children's Hearing Institute in New York City, which supports research, treatment and educational programs for those with hearing loss and profound deafness.
"I feel good knowing I can help because so many people helped me," said the auburn-haired girl.
Last night, a party was held in her honor at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. Her parents, Elissa and Alan Kestenbaum, punctuated their daughter's gesture by purchasing about $100,000 worth of original artwork. Bat mitzvah guests received $1,000 worth of "Molly money" with the names of both charities for bidding to purchase items.
Goody bags provided information about organizations Molly hopes her guests will support, and she will donate her monetary gifts to those groups. She is taking the words she spoke at her bat mitzvah to heart.
"Stay close to friends and family," she said, "be careful of what you say, and have confidence in your abilities."