"I started my career as an event planner. In 2008, I was pregnant with my first and only child, and I was on an airplane while reading an article about kids' birthday parties and dreaming about all the ways I could celebrate my daughter. The next magazine had an image of a child in Haiti, with sunken eyes and a bloated belly, with chaos and destruction behind him. All I could think about was, "What about him? He might never feel celebrated.""
"I first had to understand what homelessness is and isn't. It can be families who are fleeing domestic violence situations, or families where two parents have jobs, but they can't make ends meet. There are teens who the foster system has failed, and they need to live independently, and there are families who find themselves in transition for one reason or another."
"Our first agency, Family Gateway, said that people come in all the time and show up a few times, and then stop coming back. Kids crave consistency, so they asked us to commit to showing up every month. We structured it so that once a month, we go and bring our Birthday Enthusiasts, our volunteers, and host hour-long birthday celebrations. We have one partner we've been partying with every month for 13 years."
Paige Chenault Lohoefer founded The Birthday Party Project after seeing an image of a suffering child while pregnant and deciding all children should be celebrated. The nonprofit launched in Dallas in 2012 and now operates in 21 cities with 80 agency partners. The organization focuses on children in transitional situations, including families fleeing domestic violence, working parents who cannot make ends meet, teens failed by the foster system, and other families in transition. The program commits to monthly, hour-long celebrations staffed by volunteers called Birthday Enthusiasts. Consistent parties build joy and stability, and one partner has been served for 13 years.
Read at Business Insider
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