A Wish Comes True for Neediest Children - Local non-profit Provides Birthday Parties to Boston’s Homeless Children
Birthday Wishes, Inc. provides birthday parties for children living in homeless shelters in the greater Boston area. Over 400 children in 22 shelters are being served annually by this grass-roots organization which is looking to expand its budget and services state- and nation-wide.
Waltham, MA (PRWEB) June 8, 2005 -- Three-year-old Alex was still beaming
hours after his “Spiderman” birthday party ended at a local homeless shelter.
Celebrating with the other children in the shelter, Alex enjoyed cake, gifts, a
spiderman pinata, games, and goody bags - all made possible by Birthday Wishes,
Inc. - a local non-profit which provides birthday parties for children living in
homeless shelters.
Founders Karen Yahara, Lisa Vasiloff, and Carol
Zwanger began throwing parties for children in two homeless shelters in the fall
of 2002. Since that time, their three-person volunteer organization has
blossomed into a non-profit which serves 22 shelters in the greater Boston area,
providing parties for over 400 homeless children annually and still growing.
Over 300 volunteers help bring parties to these children, with donations of
time, talents, and in-kind and monetary contributions. Birthday Wishes throws
parties at each shelter once per month, for all the children whose birthdays
fall in that month. A typical birthday party includes gifts for all the birthday
children, a cake, games and craft activities run by volunteers, a piñata, goody
bags, and a face-painter or magician when budget and schedule allow.
Most
homeless shelters do not have the personnel or resources necessary to hold
birthday parties for the children who stay there. And the parents (typically a
single mother) is both economically and emotionally unable to organize the kind
of party most children take for granted. “For a child who does not have much in
life, and who is living every day with the trauma of homelessness, these parties
are a precious gift. They leave the children simply beaming with happiness” says
Serena Klempin, the Children’s Services Coordinator at Sandra’s Lodge, one of
the shelters served by Birthday Wishes. She also stresses how much the parties
mean to mothers who would otherwise not be able to afford to throw a party for
their children. It also empowers moms, who are consulted by Birthday Wishes
about the type of party they would like for their child. Zoe Dodd, of the Portis
House in Jamaica Plain agrees, “Our parents really appreciate being able to
connect with the Birthday Wishes party planner. They feel listened to and that
they have had a part in giving something great to their child.”
Birthday
Wishes is funded by individual donors, grants, and fundraisers. Currently run on
a volunteer basis by its three founders and one part-time paid staffer, Birthday
Wishes hopes to raise the money it needs to hire a full-time staff to keep up
with the growing demand for its services in Massachusetts. Birthday Wishes has
also received requests from individuals in 15 states to help start Birthday
Wishes branches outside of Massachusetts. Says co-founder Lisa Vasiloff, “We
won’t be happy until every homeless child in Massachusetts is celebrating his or
her birthday joyfully, surrounded by friends, family, and others who care. Then
we’ll think about a national organization”.
For more information on
Birthday Wishes, please visit the web site at www.birthdaywishes.org,
or call 781-891-4767.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb248361.htm