Originally published in the March 8, 2021 issue.
As Hayden Caplan prepared for his upcoming bar mitzvah in May, there was no question what he wanted to do for his mitzvah project. A friend from his pre-school days at Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, Benjamin Goldberg, an amazing young boy, passed away at just eight years old from a rare childhood cancer. To honor Benjamin’s memory, Hayden wanted to ensure that the Benjamin Goldberg Playroom at The Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters would be a bright place of love, hope, and support for children getting treatment on the Hematology-Oncology floor.
Hayden hosted a 12-hour game-a-thon on February 27, which he named “Gaming for Gold,” for people to join him and raise money while gaming-for-good.
“It was so heartwarming to see Hayden playing games with old and new friends, doing what they love to do, and raising money to remember and honor his friend, Ben,” says Hayden’s mother, Stacie Caplan. “It was an incredible day filled with so much love.”
That love and those young people helped to raise more than $8,000 for the Benjamin Goldberg Playroom and a lesson so much bigger than themselves was realized for all involved.
To donate to this cause, visit www.Benjamingoldbergfoundation.org.