Texas teen uses bar mitzvah money to donate 800 pairs of shoes

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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Teen uses Bar Mitzvah money to donate 400 pairs of shoes
What would you do if you got $25,000 for your bar mitzvah? One teen bought shoes, but they weren't for him.

EL PASO, Texas -- What would you do if you got $25,000 for your bar mitzvah? One teen bought more than 400 pairs of Nike sneakers - enough to outfit an entire elementary school.

Drew Frank, 13, recently had his bar mitzvah. In lieu of gifts, he asked for cash donations.

When Drew tallied up all of his gifts, he had $25,000. But he didn't keep any of that money for himself. Instead, he donated it to a charity to give away hundreds of shoes.

In collaboration with the Braden Aboud Foundation, he purchased 800 pairs of Nikes and 800 pairs of socks. More than 400 pairs of those shoes were donated to a public elementary school in a lower-income neighborhood.

The other shoes will go to a local orphanage and a YWCA transitional living center for women and children.

While most boys keep their bar mitzvah gifts for themselves, Drew is happy he was able to share his.