Garett Samuel Van Buskirk, son of Melisa and Joseph Van Buskirk, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 20, at Congregation Beth Shalom.
Garett is the grandson of Barbara Glasberg and Barry Glasberg (of blessed memory) Nina Alvan-Martinez of El Paso, Texas, and Thomas Van Buskirk. He has one sister, Simone.
He is a student at Leawood Middle School, and he enjoys playing bass and guitar, riding his bike, spending time with friends and playing video games. He attends Camp Sabra in the summer and is active in USY Gesher, BBYO Connect and as a member of Boys Team Charity.
For his mitzvah project, Garett is collecting shoes for Soles4Souls. He also plans to plant trees in Israel through Jewish National Fund.