Adas Israel’s 10th graders depart Sunday, June 17, 2012 on the third-annual Abe and Minnie Kay Israel Experience. The main goal of the trip is to solidify the students’ connection to Israel and to Jewish life. The experience has a social action focus and one of the highlights of their mitzvah-oriented agenda will be a visit to ALYN Hospital on June 25. 

ALYN is Israel’s premier rehabilitation center for children with physical disabilities. Children from all over Israel come seeking ALYN’s cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary treatment for a wide range of disabilities, including neuromuscular conditions, birth defects and issues that result from cancer surgeries, car accidents, acts of terror and other life happenstances. ALYN welcomes all children regardless of ethnicity or religion, and combines expertise with love to offer physically disabled children the chance to reach their highest potential.

As a private nonprofit hospital, ALYN receives no automatic government funding and relies on a network of friends to bridge the gap in funding between health insurance reimbursements and the actual cost of ALYN’s extensive care. The Adas Israel students have made a commitment to raise funds to help; they set a goal of $2,200, which would bridge the gap for one child for four weeks of care in ALYN’s Pediatric Respiratory Rehabilitation Department.

June 27 will surely be a highlight of the Adas Israel Confirmation Class Israel trip when the students participate in the third-annual Adas Israel Bike-a-thon in Israel. The class will be riding for the children of ALYN who cannot ride, and are asking family and friends to support their effort. Anyone interested in helping the class reach their goal can visit www.alynus.org/adasisrael2012, or call the American Friends of ALYN Hospital at 212-869-8085.

If you know other amazing young people like the 10th graders of Adas Israel who are looking for a tzedakah project for a bar/bat mitzvah, a youth group or a religious school, consider helping the heroic children of ALYN Hospital by doing your own MITZVAH OF LOVE. American Friends of ALYN Hospital offers projects to suit any individual or group. For more information, call 877-568-3259, or email programs@alynus.org.