Alex Midler wanted to give back during one of the most important days of his life – his Bar Mitzvah.  He wanted to help raise money and awareness for the JohnnyKicksCancer  Foundation.  Alex and Johnny never met, never talked to each other, never knew each other, or had any connection — except for their love of skateboarding.  Skateboarding.  A special bond between people (even strangers) regardless of background, economic status, race — or whatever differences you think you may have, if you’re a skater, all of the normal stuff that would otherwise separate you no longer matters.  Skaters share an amazing passion for the sport, and above all, each other.  Here is Alex’s letter to his family and friends to help him become a man (Bar Mitzvah) and raise money through a shared passion he and Johnny had:

Dear Friends and Family,

On June 18th, I will become a Bar Mitzvah, which means that I will “become a man” in the eyes of the Jewish religion.  It is a special day for me and I have been preparing for it for many years.   It is an important tradition for a Bar Mitzvah to do a “mitzvah” project, or something that gives back or raises funds for a worthwhile charity or cause.

If you know me, you know that skateboarding is my passion.  For my mitzvah project, I came up with the idea of hosting the first annual “Roll-a-Thon” for the benefit of the Johnny Kicks Cancer Foundation.   On May 22, at 10 a.m., I will be rolling 18 miles starting from the Santa Monica Pier and winding down the strand along the Pacific Ocean.  (The significance of 18 is that word for the number 18 in my religion is chai, meaning “life” and by supporting the Roll-a-Thon you will be helping save lives.)    I am hoping that some of my friends will want to join me on the Roll-a-Thon and in trying to raise money.  My parents will be biking alongside of me and my brother Todd will film the events of the day and document the “roll.”   Anyone can join me by riding anything with wheels, like a scooter, bike or board.

My goal is to not only complete the beautiful 18 mile course but to raise money and awareness for a charity that is important to me.  Johnny Romano was a young boy who loved skateboarding.  He died of childhood leukemia 3 years ago after a very courageous struggle against the disease.  Had he lived, he would have been my age today.   His picture is below next to mine.  The mission of JKC is “to cure childhood leukemia through awareness and funding for cutting-edge research, as well as to empower and encourage patients, families and doctors in their fight against the number one childhood cancer.”   There is a lot of information about the foundation and about Johnny, on the websitewww.johnnykickscancer.org.

If you choose to support me in the Roll-a-Thon, your donation will go straight to Johnny Kicks Cancer.   My goal is to reach $2,500 in donations personally and to encourage many others to get on a skateboard, bike or scooter and join me in raising money for this worthwhile cause.   To make a donation to JKC is to go towww.johnnykickscancer.org/donate/donate-in-honor.  Make sure you insert Alex Midler’s Roll-a-Thon in the space provided and you can use a credit card to pay.

I really appreciate you considering a donation to JKC in honor of the Roll-a-Thon and my Bar Mitzvah.  Thank you,

Alex Midler

Here is video from 5/22/11 that Alex’s big brother Todd took along the way:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=J5LIO8LX