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Cheerful Givers make birthdays special for kids in need
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photo by K.Kitchel/Cheerful Givers
Some parents have already come to the conclusion that there kids have way too much stuff. This realization came to me early in my son’s life when he was bombarded with birthday presents from relatives he rarely saw but who felt obligated to give him a gift. But he is fortunate to have people in his life who are able to think of him on his birthday. What if it was the other way around?
Celebrating a child’s birthday is a joyous event unless that child lives in a shelter. Then often birthdays are not even acknowledged. When a volunteer at a shelter asked a small child named Mike about the date of his birthday, his response was, “I don’t have a birthday.” He was six years old at the time and no one had ever recognized his birthday. But then an organization by the name of Cheerful Givers changed that by giving him a birthday gift bag.
Cheerful Givers is a non-profit organization that began in 1994 after founder Robin Maynard-Steele visited a food shelf and found parents who were desperately trying to find something to give their children on their birthday. Cheerful Givers works to give parents living in poverty a way to acknowledge their children’s birthdays by providing birthday bags full of gifts. Bags are filled with books, stuffed animals, games, crayons, toys and candy. The gift bags are then distributed anonymously to the children through shelters and food banks. Over 150 shelters and food shelves distributed their birthday bags last year including Harvest Heartland who distribute gift bags along with their food. They’ve come a long way spreading their work. In May, during a special event, Cheerful Givers created their 300,000 gift bag.
One way your family can get involved with Cheerful Givers is by holding a Birthday Blitz.
This is a great activity for family gatherings or as a birthday activity, where your group gathers new toys and creates birthday bags. You can then take the bags to a shelter or food shelf for distribution. Just let them know how many bags they filled and where they took them. Complete instructions are available on the Cheerful Givers website.
“Cheerful Givers actually provides two very important gifts, “ Karen Kitchel, President of Cheerful Givers said. “We are teaching some individuals to receive, and others to give.”
“While many organizations and families, provide toys for less fortunate kids at Christmas, we believe it is most important for children to have one day they don’t have to share with everyone else,” she said.
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