It's a new year, and my bat mitzvah is just around the corner. Like many synagogues, mine requires that all bar/bat mitzvah students do a mitzvah project. For inspiration, I went to a fair called Mitzvah Mania hosted by the JCC in Irvine, Calif. every year to help students like me choose their mitzvah projects.

The fair was really cool because it showed me lots of possibilities—I couldn't even decide what to do at first. Then, I narrowed it down to three choices: helping to bring a dog to visit with hospital patients, raising money for training bomb-detecting dogs to send to Israel, or raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society.

My parents and I discussed all the pros and cons of the different projects but we kept coming back to the MS Society. My mom's uncle and cousin both have MS and when I realized that many other people I knew also lived with MS, I chose this cause for my mitzvah project.

I started by reaching out to our family friend, Chris, who is involved with the local Orange County California MS Society and the Challenge Walk in southern California. He provided me with MS Gel Bracelets to sell. In the beginning, I sold the red gel bracelets for $1. Chris helped by giving me a pep talk and suggested ways in which I could raise the most money.

I started to carry a basket of bracelets with me at all times, and pulled it out and sold them whenever I could, including before and after Sunday school at my synagogue. The principal at my middle school gave me permission to set up a table on Open House night. I even sold them outside of the Kosher Market while my parents did their Passover shopping!  

I set a goal for myself to try to raise $1,800 to donate to the MS Challenge Walk and MS Research. I found that selling the bracelets put me on a good track to reaching this goal, but Chris suggested that if I sent a letter to potential donors, I might be even more successful. I started by sending a letter to my friends and family asking for donations.

With each letter, I sent a pen (so they could write me a check) and postage paid envelope (so they would have no trouble mailing me a check) and waited for the mail every day. It definitely paid off: I received donations back from almost everyone who received a letter. The donations ranged from as little as $5 to as big as $180.

With the success of the donations, I decided to get creative. I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant and talked to the owner, Tammy, who I've known most of my life. I asked her if she would sponsor an MS night and contribute 10 percent of the restaurant's total sales between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on a weekend night in the summer. Tammy was happy to help me out and her donation pushed me up over $3,300.

In the end, I raised 182 percent of my original goal. But raising money wasn't the only thing this mitzvah project taught me. I also learned so much about dedication and keeping a commitment.

All of the donations went toward Chris' MS walk team. His team participated in the 3-day walk from Carlsbad to San Diego, and my fundraising efforts helped make them the top fundraising team again this year, raising more than $80,000 for MS Research.

Chris invited my parents and me to come to the ceremony at the end of the Challenge Walk in San Diego. There, he spoke about everything from the crowd of walkers that received medals for their efforts to the worthy cause itself. And then, to my surprise, he told the crowd about me—what I had set out to accomplish and how I had done it. He told them that my fundraising goal had been $1,800 and that I came in way above this in the end. Then, he told them I was only 11, and they gave me a standing ovation! I was blown away and remain very proud of what I have done.

Jenna Wright, 12, is from Irvine, Calif. Her bat mitzvah will take place this month, February 2007.