The “Great Minnesota Birthday Party” captured the attention of hundreds of mall-goers on Saturday, March 27 at the Mall of America which Governor Pawlenty proclaimed Cheerful Givers Day throughout the state.  M.A. Rosko of Fox 9 News kicked off the event followed by Sergeant First Class Billy Todd of the U.S. Army reading the proclamation.

Tim Mahoney got the crowd into the birthday spirit with his lively musical performance while local celebrities, including former Minnesota Viking Matt Blair, Minnesota Roller Girls, Miss Minnesota 2009 Brooke Kilgarriff, Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders, and Minnesota Blizzard team members helped to collect donations for our charity. A highlight of the event was a “Cheer Off” competition among local cheerleading groups. East Ridge High School from Woodbury took the prize by raising the most dollars but Shakopee High and the Swarm Performance Team were great competitors.

Kids enjoyed coloring contests and face painting while parents listened to singer/guitarist Jeff James play a variety of tunes. Meanwhile, the Barnes & Noble store at the Mall hosted a Cheerful Givers Book Fair where 10% of their proceeds were donated every time a customer mentioned Cheerful Givers at the check-out. The finale of the event brought all of the local celebrities to the stage where they joined in singing Happy Birthday to kids everywhere who don’t get to celebrate their birthday. Proceeds from the event are being used to provide toy-filled birthday gift bags for less fortunate children.

Lots more photos and video coming soon!

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