How to make birthdays special for kids in shelters
Originally appeared in Kiwi Magazine, August 2012
BY KIMBERLY HATFIELD
Between the games, the friends, and (of course!) the cake, what’s better than a birthday? But the thousands of kids living in homeless shelters across the country don’t always get a party. Birthday Wishes, a Newton, Massachusetts-based nonprofit, is one of the organizations trying to change that. For the last 10 years, the group has provided treats, gifts, and paper goods to local shelters—and helped throw parties for more than 24,000 kids. Inspired? Get involved at birthdaywishes.org, or check out the list below for similar birthday groups in other areas.
Birthday Dreams serving the Puget Sound area in Washington
P.O. Box 2722
Renton, WA 98056
The Birthday Box Project serving Los Angeles County
P.O. Box 41-1423
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Volunteers of America, Brightening Birthdays for Homeless Children serving programs across the country
1660 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314