A bear-y generous bat mitzvah

Ali, pictured with the cupcakes she baked and sold for her fundraiser

A local teen brings comfort to our patients by raising funds for PrayerBears

“If you think it’s important to give back, just start talking and asking what you can do to help. A lot of people want to help … just start with something you’re comfortable with.” – Ali, age 13

PrayerBears are a time-honored tradition at our Fort Worth medical center. Thanks to the generosity of donors, each child who spends the night under our blue peaks receives a PrayerBear to remind them that they aren’t alone and that someone in their community is praying for them.

Mitzvah projects are deeply rooted in tradition, too. Within the Jewish faith, children celebrate their growth into maturity through a bar or bat mitzvah on their 13th birthday.

As Ali Christensen prepared for her bat mitzvah, she began searching for a way to give back to her community.

“The word ‘mitzvah’ means good deed and commandment,” Ali said. “When you become a bat mitzvah, you become a daughter of good deeds. At our temple, you choose a project where you do a good deed to give back to your community for everything they’ve done for you. It’s a responsibility.”

Ali’s brother, Evan, received a PrayerBear years ago during an overnight stay at our Fort Worth medical center. During her search for a project, she remembered the comfort that Evan’s bear brought him and decided to support the PrayerBear program at Cook Children’s.

“I saw something that said the PrayerBear supply was low,” Ali said. “My brother still has his on his nightstand from when he spent the night in the hospital a couple of years ago. I wanted to bring comfort to kids in the hospital.”

Ali reached out to Jennifer Hayes, director of Spiritual Care at Cook Children’s, to determine how she could help. Jennifer shared that the Spiritual Care team distributes around 60 PrayerBears per day. In honor of Ali’s 13th birthday, she decided to raise funds to provide 13 days of PrayerBears.

Next, Ali created an online fundraising page she could share with family and friends. She also incorporated her love of baking into her mitzvah project by baking and selling cupcakes for $1 each. Many of her customers made additional donations after learning about her project.

On July 2, 2023, Ali’s friends and family gathered to celebrate her coming of age and the success of her mitzvah project. The impact of Ali’s bat mitzvah is a testament to the fact that anyone can make a difference for our patients.

“If you think it’s important to give back, just start talking and asking what you can do to help,” Ali said. “A lot of people want to help … just start with something you’re comfortable with.”

For more information on how you can start a fundraiser to support our patients, email wendy.eubank@cookchildrens.org or call 682-885-7662