Boston
Birthday parties are very special occasions for family and friends, no matter what our age. But do you sometimes find yourself thinking, when you’re sending out invitations to guests, “I just don’t need anything”? Or, “My son or daughter will be excited to see their friends and relatives, but they really don’t need any more presents”?
Our Birthday Club program gives you and your kids an opportunity to celebrate your birthday and help other children celebrate theirs at the same time. For example: You can invite partygoers to bring a special gift to donate. (See our "Top 10 Most Needed Items" for suggestions.) You can encourage friends and family to make a financial contribution, in lieu of giving a gift.
To register for Birthday Club, please fill out and submit this form. Once you are registered, we'll send you a birthday card and certificate.
To find out about our Every Child Deserves a Birthday Present initiative, hosted by locally run toy stores across the Boston area, visit here!
A pair of 8-year-old twins had a great idea to donate all their birthday gifts to Cradles to Crayons. The girls had a fantastic "spa" birthday party complete with nail painting, yoga class, and even cucumber facials! Since the whole point of the day was about "feeling good", they thought having everyone donate gifts fit right in with their theme. Plus, both girls agreed that the gift giving gets to be a little too much. "When we have a party and 20 girls come, they all bring two gifts...one for each of us! What are we going to do with 40 gifts?!" said one of the girls. They agreed it would be great to share their special day with other children in need. They also loved coming to the Giving Factory to drop off the gifts and see how all the donations are assembled and given out to the families. The girls were blown away at how hard everyone works at Cradles to Crayons and immediately asked when they could come back and volunteer themselves.
Even though she's not as young as most of our Birthday Stars, Sonia is clearly a kid at heart. When it came time to celebrate her 70th birthday, Sonia wanted to gather together with close friends and family. Knowing that attendees would likely bring gifts, she looked for an organization she could support. "I feel very fortunate to have everything I need," she said. "I wanted to celebrate my birthday by giving back." On the birthday invitation, she suggested that people bring crayons or colored pencils for C2C in lieu of a gift, and the response was overwhelming. "The guests appreciated celebrating with me as well as having the opportunity to do something positive for the community," she said. "I would definitely do it again."
Lauren (pictured in center) wanted her Sweet 16 to have a lasting impact, to inspire her classmates, and to do something for others that are less fortunate. When planning her party, she decided to ask all of her guests to bring brand-new school or arts & crafts supplies to donate to Cradles to Crayons. Some 70 guests attended the party, bringing more than 100 items to donate.
Lauren admits that she was originally thinking along the lines of MTV's Sweet 16 series, in terms of the kind of party she wanted. Looking back, though, she is much happier with her decision to donate her gifts instead: "I really wanted a big party, a performer, a Mercedes—but I think this is much cooler than any of that!"
