Not all children have the fortune of celebrating their existence with a fabulous birthday party.
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But if Paige Chenault has anything to do with it, many more will. Because this Texas woman is on a mission to throw awesome birthday parties for kids in homeless shelters.
The idea came to the party planner while looking through a party catalog for her daughter Lizzie. She was excited to give her the party of her dreams, but then it dawned on her: not all children have the same joyous experience.
“That’s literally the moment a fire lit inside of me, truly a burning feeling in my stomach, and a voice that reassured me I had found my purpose in life,” she wrote.
“I was going to celebrate the lives of children that needed it most. I was going to throw birthdays for homeless children!”
After three years of research and planning, Chenault launched The Birthday Party Project in 2012. The organization throws around 20 parties a month, and this year, they’ll have delivered an impressive 180 parties.
The parties are as varied as the people they’re for: some take place in petting zoos, while others have activities and magicians. All birthday boys and girls get a gift valued at $30, a badge, and cake.
Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States. In New York City, children in shelters spiked to a record high of 25,000 on any given night. Furthermore, 42% of those children are aged under six.
If you’d like to support the organization and help throw a party (or two) for a kid in need, you can donate via The Birthday Party Project website.