We are One Family reads the button presented to me by the smiling Dolphin Club girl taking tickets in the Bais Yaakov Middle School auditorium. This was the theme behind the Dolphin Club’s latest chesed project—a Chinese Auction held early last week to raise money for two poverty-stricken kallahs trying to make a new life for themselves in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances. The girls were inspired to help these specific kallahs after reading their story in a brochure from the well-known Israeli tzdakah organization, Kupat Ha’ir.
One of the kallahs is an orphan with no relatives at all, not even an uncle or cousin. Her entire family died from one sickness after another, leaving this young woman utterly alone. Baruch Hashem, she met her zivug and now has a wedding date, but not nearly enough money to make the wedding.
The second kallah grew up surrounded by parents and five siblings with torturous and debilitating mental illnesses. Her Abba and Ima both suffer from psychiatric disabilities and are unable to care or provide for her. With only a little money saved, she is relying on the Ribono Shel Olam to help her get married and begin her new life so she can finally rise above the misfortunes of her past.
Knowing that these kallahs have no real family other than Klal Yisrael, the Dolphin Club girls were moved to act to directly help them.
“The girls wanted to raise money for these kallahs by making a Chinese Auction,” said Dolphin Club Director, Mrs. Leeba Braun. “They asked themselves, if these orphans don’t have any family, who’s going to help them make their chasuna? Who’s going to set them up? Who’s going to help them with all the things we have in our lives when we get married? So they decided they’re going to be the family of these two kallahs,” she explained.
Through hashgacha pratis, Mrs. Braun received a donation of hundreds of We Are One Family buttons to give out at Dolphin Club events, underscoring the theme of the chesed project.
“The message of the buttons expresses exactly how we feel—that Am Yisrael is one family, one people, one nation,” said Mrs. Braun.
The girls solicited donations from individuals and businesses in the community and received over 20 items for the Chinese Auction. The auction raised a record $800, far surpassing its goal! Contributing businesses included Accents, Adina B., David Chu’s, Gifts by Gilda, Hair Dot T, Knish Shoppe, Peppermint Girls, Shaindee Cosmetics and Shell Li.
One of the most popular and coveted items up for auction was a pink Kate Spade watch. There was one Dolphin Club girl who especially wanted to win the watch but knew she only had enough money to put in a few tickets. Before the drawing, she decided to say a kipitel Tehillim to ask Hashem to help her. When the time came to pick who would win the watch, everyone held their breath in anticipation of the beautiful prize. When the name was announced, a joyous scream was heard from the crowd. The girl who said Tehillim was the winner!
“If Hashem hears your tefilla for a watch,” said Mrs. Braun to the girl, “how much more so will He hear your prayers for something really important!”
And thanks to the Dolphin Club girls and generous Yidden worldwide, HaKadosh Baruch Hu is answering the heart-wrenching tears and tefillos of our two kallahs in Eretz Yisrael who are seeing just how immense and caring a family they truly have.
Mrs. Gila Chamana, a 6th and 10th grade teacher at Bais Yaakov Middle School and High School, summed it all up in her praise of the event, saying: “The Dolphin Club is a wonderful organization. These girls are helping to change the world one project at a time!”
