Making birthday wishes come true for kids at Mary’s Place
Birthdays are a big deal for kids! Thanks to a partnership with local nonprofit Birthday Dreams, the birthday wishes of kids at Mary’s Place come true with monthly group parties where each child is celebrated.
Mary’s Place is one of 80 agencies in our community that Birthday Dreams partners with to ensure that kids staying in shelters experience the joy and hope of a birthday party.
“The birthday parties are an important way for our kids to feel a sense of normalcy and to be celebrated in all the traditional ways a child’s birthday is celebrated surrounded by their friends,” said Zoë Bill, Youth Services Director at Mary’s Place.
Mary’s Place and Birthday Dreams have worked together to celebrate hundreds of kids aged 1 to 18 staying in our shelters. Founded in 2009, Birthday Dreams has celebrated 15,000 children across the region over the past 15 years. The volunteer-driven organization coordinates about 100 parties a month, and they work closely with their partners to personalize each child’s experience.
At Mary’s Place, our Youth Services staff collect details about what each child would like for their birthday, from the flavor of the cake to the specifics of a gift they have been wishing for. Birthday Dreams does the rest, coordinating the cake with their network of volunteer bakers, purchasing and wrapping each child’s gifts, delivering the supplies and facilitating games, entertainment, crafts, and goodie bags for all who attend. Soon, Mary’s Place and Birthday Dreams will expand their partnership to provide “parties in a box” for families who have recently found permanent housing through our mobile outreach program.
“We’re so happy to continue to partner with Mary’s Place, and we’re excited to expand our parties to families assisted by the outreach program,” said Chris Spahn, Executive Director of Birthday Dreams.
Birthday Dreams relies on philanthropic support and volunteers to deliver birthday happiness to kids experiencing homelessness. You can learn more about opportunities to be a part of their work by visiting their website.