Vision 5k: June 7, 2008

March 28, 2008

A Bat Mitzvah, a blog and a blindfold: Meet Rachel

Rachel is a 12-year-old girl who will be called to the Torah to become a Bat Mitzvah in June. At her temple, the tradition is for the individuals to choose a community service project that is meaningful to them--and for Rachel, deciding on her project has been a challenge. Literally.

Rachel decided to take the Vision 5K's Blindfold Challenge as her community project in honor of her cousin, Sawyer, who is blind. "At his house, his Mom would talk to him and he would follow her voice. Instead of seeing her, he can listen to her and know where she is," Rachel says. "I wondered what it would be like to need to rely on your hearing and your other senses to know where people are and what they are doing. In the Blindfold Challenge I will have to do that."

Rachel's got a big heart, but she's also decided to let everyone know what's on her mind. She's started a blog, My Mitzvah, to record her progress training for the race, raising funds to help visually impaired kids like Sawyer, and learning how to trust her guide while running without the benefit of her sight. (She's got a head start on the trust part: Rachel's mom will be her guide.)

Check out the blog--and check back regularly to see how she's doing!

>> Read My Mitzvah