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While most girls in seventh grade focus solely on appearances and boys, 12-year-old Abigail Fixel’s heart is set on other things. Fixel is coming to the point in her life when it’s time to become a woman in her Jewish faith, a rite of passage known as the Bat Mitzvah.
As a part of coming of age, Fixel is responsible for doing a Mitzvah project, that is, a good deed for the community. Fixel has decided to incorporate something she loves most into her project: theater. Her project includes a theater camp, called Camp Fixel, for underprivileged third-to-fifth-graders at Brentwood Elementary. The GoFundMe she created for the project—Camp Fixel; My Bat Mitzvah Project—is currently just past the halfway mark to reaching its $3,000 goal.
“Theater makes children shine, it brings out their inner strengths. It makes them more confident and do better in school because they become more outspoken,” said Fixel.
The camp, two week-long sessions held June 12-17 and 19-24, enables campers to learn and act out the musical play . Her choice was inspired by her own experience of performing in a production of it when she was 10. She also likes the fact that it’s possible for everyone to get a part in it.
“It really has roles for everyone, something that they would be comfortable with, and it’s a really fun play to be in,” said Fixel.
This selfless teen is raising $3,000 for things like liability insurance, costume design, scripts and making a videotape of the performance so that each family can enjoy it for years to come. She’s also asking restaurants to donate to the cause by making lunches for the campers. Cruisers Grill has already agreed to provide some lunches for these theater-going campers.
“Doing this with kids who are paying or normal intercity kids—that’s not a Mitzvah, that’s not a good deed and I wanted to give something to kids who otherwise wouldn’t ever experience something like this,” Fixel explained.
Fixel plans to direct the play with the help of her mother, Rebecca, whom she asked to choreograph the play. Her intentions throughout this whole project are nothing short of altruistic.
“I just want a few smiles, some happy kids enjoying this, some hugs at the end of the day,” said Fixel.
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To donate to Fixel’s mitzvah, visit gofundme.com/76ktw-my-bat-mitzvah-project.
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