Background
In April 2007, the first Cheerful Givers pilot program in the South was started by a high school student, James Kwee.  Kwee, then a sophomore at Hilger Higher Learning, had already organized a student volunteer club (the Hilger Philanthropist Club) at his school earlier in the year, and was looking for a unique project for members to work on when he came across the Cheerful Givers’ website.  Excited about the Cheerful Givers’ mission and its community outreach, Kwee wanted to get involved.  However, upon contacting Cheerful Givers president Karen Kitchel, he learned that Cheerful Givers was primarily based in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and its only pilot program was in Washington (state).  Undeterred, Kwee asked Ms. Kitchel if he could start a pilot program in the Chattanooga-Northwest Georgia area.  After receiving the green light from Ms. Kitchel, Kwee and his peers began raising money for birthday bags and started recruiting local organizations to help distribute birthday bags.

Today, Cheerful Givers of Chattanooga has distributed more than 125 birthday bags throughout the Chattanooga area.  Goals for 2009 include increasing birthday bag production, recruiting more participating organizations, and creating a greater awareness of Cheerful Givers and its mission.

Coordinator
If you live in the Chattanooga-Northwest Georgia area and would like to get involved with Cheerful Givers, please contact James Kwee for more information.  James can be reached by e-mail or by phone at 706-313-4434.  We are always looking for volunteers to help with events and hold Birthday Bag Blitzes.

Teams
Hilger Philanthropist Club

Events

• Post-Christmas Birthday Bag Blitz (January 2009), First Alliance Church
• Spring Fling Birthday Bag Blitz (March 2009), Location TBA
• Best of Hilger Talent Show Fundraiser (April 2009), First Alliance Church
• Gift-wrapping for Donations (December 2009), Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Press

• Featured on local daytime talk show, Topic, on January 9, 2008
• “God Loves a Cheerful Giver,” The Hilger Beat, Spring 2008
• “Super Teens,” nextSTEP magazine, March/April 2008

Recipient Organizations

• The Caring Place – Cleveland, TN
• Catholic Charities of East Tennessee – Chattanooga, TN
• Chattanooga Room in the Inn – Chattanooga, TN
• Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Chattanooga – Chattanooga, TN
• Northside Neighborhood House – Chattanooga, TN
• Safe Harbor House – Cleveland, TN
• The Samaritan Center – Ooltewah, TN

Learn More

• Sign up for the Cheerful Givers e-newsletter (see box to your right)
• Find more information about the Cheerful Givers organization