English 11-year-old girl will walk 26 miles in aid of her Bat Mitzvah project to save another child's heart.

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Amelie Anderson, an 11-year-old girl from Richmond, UK decided she wanted to mark the special, memorable occasion of her bat mitzvah in a positive, meaningful way. Amelie will be undertaking a 26-mile walk in October 2020 along the Thames Towerpath from Hampton Court Palace to Tower Bridge which is the length of a full marathon in the attempt to walk 60,000 steps for 60,000 heartbeats. Amelie’s fundraising challenge is part of a project that she is undergoing on tzedakah and Tikkun Olam in the lead up to her coming of age. 

"The heart of a healthy 12-year-old girl (Bat Mitzvah age) beats approximately 60,000 times every 12 hours."

Amelie was inspired to undertake this life-saving journey by Save a Child’s Heart, wanting to be a part of making a change in children’s lives all over the globe. She has been in contact with 13-year-old Abay from Ethiopia who has recovered from successful heart surgery at the Wolfson Medical Center in Israel through Save a Child's Heart. Abay, being a similar age to Amelie, also discovered that the two share an interest in Math.

Amelie's goal is to raise $15,000 (£11,500) to give other children like Abay the chance to undergo a life-saving procedure and take away the financial burden from families that need it the most. The cost will cover all medical care, travel to Israel, and housing during their stay and recovery. So far, Amelie has raised an incredible $6,500 (£5,000), she believes she can reach her goal and make a real change to a child's and family's lives.

Celebrity illusionist Uri Geller  heard about Amelie's determination to save a child's life and offered the highest donor a gifted collection of his lithographs:

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Amelie's initiative has also been covered by the UK's Jewish News as well as the Jerusalem Post.

Amelie’s story is truly amazing and shows the real meaning of Save a Child’s Heart. Hard work and determination go a long way and we know that she can reach her goal!