Last year I had my bat mitzvah and typically when one has a bat or bar mitzvah one chooses a charitable bat or bar mitzvah project. The project I chose was called the Shatterproof challenge. This challenge required me to rappel down a twenty two story building that was located in Hartford, it was the Hilton hotel. I also had to raise one thousand dollars in order to take the challenge. I found out about the challenge from my dad, Mark because he was approached by the man who started this challenge, Gary Mendell. He approached my father because he is a business associate of my father's and my dad is connected to the Hilton in Hartford. Mr. Mendell wanted to use the building for rappelling and raising awareness and funds for this cause. At first when my dad approached me and asked me if I wanted to take the challenge I said yes because I needed a bat mitzvah project. When I said yes I did not actually realize what I was agreeing to, it just seemed like a fun thing to do. Later I asked what the challenge was for. He told me that Gary Mendell had lost his son because of drug and alcohol addiction. Gary Mendell started this organization in order to spread awareness for drug and alcohol addiction and also to end the stigma associated with this disease. Mr. Mendell wants to also spread the word that drug and alcohol addiction is not just an obsession but a disease. One of the main reasons this is important to me is because one in ten people over the age of twelve in America suffer from the disease. Even though I have no personal connection to the addiction it is important to me because I feel like I am helping the cause that affects many kids around my age. I have taken the rappelling challenge for two years now and raised over three thousand dollars for it. I plan on continuing to do more for this cause by continuing to take the challenge of rappelling down the building and raising funds to support the cause.