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Sowing Artistic Seeds

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By CHERYL KUCK

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 1, 2008

PLANT CITY - When Elijah Kallett selected a community service project for his bar mitzvah, he decided to combine his love for the arts with a desire to lend a helping hand to children of migrants.

He worked with Hope Lutheran Church of Plant City and Messiah Lutheran Church Migrant Ministries based in Tampa to offer arts and crafts to the children of farm workers and other migrants. Kallett, 13, spent the past year raising money to make the project a reality as part of his Jewish coming-of-age ceremony.

The Aug. 16 event at Hope's campus at 2001 N. Park Road included art classes, ice cream and distribution of art supplies.

"I've been an artist for a long time now and art is really close to my heart. I want to share that joy with kids who might not have the chance to discover their own ability to create. That's why I thought about teaching an art class and giving them art supplies," Kallett said.

He is a straight-A principal's honor-roll student at Orange Grove Middle-Magnet School in Tampa. His mother, Sheryl Kay, said his bar mitzvah also includes leading the congregation at his Tarpon Springs synagogue in worship.

A bar mitzvah, is "also about becoming an adult who is a contributing member of society and making the world a better place," she said.

His father, Lee, and sister, Simone, helped at the Aug. 16 event, along with Messiah Lutheran Church Migrant Ministries Director Connie Sikkema.

Hope Lutheran's pastor, the Rev. Dean Pfeffer, said he was impressed with Kallett's community project. Hope operates an outreach ministry for migrants that offers food and clothing assistance.

"This young man's gift to the migrant families is an example of being able to cross every barrier no matter who you are, no matter what your age is," Pfeffer said.

Correspondent Cheryl Kuck can be reached at wkuck@tampa bay.rr.com.

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