Claudia & Michael Cuddyer

228 less fortunate children will have Happy Birthdays thanks to the great support of the Minnesota Twins Wives and players who filled birthday bags following their winning game on July 18th. Special thanks to Claudia and Michael Cuddyer for helping to organize this fun event. 

Watch for some great autographed Minnesota Twins items to be auctioned off  during our Social Summer Online Fundraiser throughout August. 

The atmosphere of birthday parties in Ireland is often very specific. Large gatherings of gift-bearing family and friends are accompanied by plenty of food and drink along with joyful singing, dancing, and story-telling. Old Celtic symbols are on display, time-honoured toasts are preserved, and deep-rooted Irish traditions are followed, regardless of the age being celebrated. One such tradition involves holding the birthday child by their hands and feet and bumping them gently on the floor. The amount of bumps the child receives corresponds to their age and as well as an additional bump for good luck.

While this exciting and jovial occasion is anticipated every year by children and teenagers all over Ireland, not all have this privilege to look forward to. For those living in poverty, birthdays can be ruined by the worry of money. Consider the case of Matthew, an 8 year old boy from Dublin who spoke up in a classroom discussion on poverty. “I was pretty sure I was going to get a bicycle for my birthday,” said Matthew, “just like the really cool one Peter has at school. It’s red and green and has these brilliant lights that look like they’re straight out of a spaceship. I think it’s the best bike I’ve ever seen”.

“But whenever I mention it to Dad” Matthew continued, “he starts talking about how much it costs and do I realize how many bills come in the door every day and Mam says I’m to talk about something else”. Matthew is left to accept the harsh reality that “Mam or Dad haven’t said anything but I’ve a feeling I won’t be getting that bike for my birthday”.

For young people like Matthew, poverty means not experiencing the everyday things that other kids his age have in their lives. It means being looked down upon and having to deal with the embarrassment of being asked by other kids what presents you got for your birthday. The joy and anticipation that has been associated with the traditional Irish birthday party are replaced with feelings of worry and shame. According to recent research, 13% of families in Ireland are unable to afford birthday parties for their children.

In order to cope with this and provide their children with some semblance of a special occasion, many parents in Ireland resort to using moneylenders to cover the costs of a birthday. The problem is that parents incur massive interest rates that only prove to make their dire situation even worse. Take the report of Joanne, a single mother of two children under 10, for example. Struggling to cope on minimal social welfare payments, she felt forced to avail of moneylenders in order to buy birthday presents for her children. She has no choice but to accept an interest rate so high that not only was she in debt of €6,000 ($7,406) already, but for each €500 ($619) borrowed, she is paying €300 ($372) in interest.

Currently in Ireland, St Vincent De Paul distributes food, toys, and money to poor families at Christmas. There is, however, no equivalent operation like Cheerful Givers to help parents living in poverty to give their child a gift for their birthday.

Supporters and volunteers submitted reviews to earn this honor. Here are a few examples of what they said or you can read them all.

“I’ve seen the results of this organization in… Kids get to receive a gift on their birthday, which wouldn’t necessarily be a given without Cheerful Givers. Parents get to experience the joy of being able to provide a gift to their children. Volunteers of all ages get to learn that giving can be fun!”

“In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are… helping people understand that the emotions of a child are just as important as keeping them healthy and well fed.”

“If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could… give gifts to every kid in the US and make such a difference in their lives!”

Thanks to donations from local businesses and the school’s own fundraising, more than 30 students were able to make 50 birthday bags, the third year in a row the Skyline High School Key Club in Washington has contributed to our cause.

And not content with their successes, the Clubbers are planning on reaching out to their peers at Eastlake High School to stage a bigger event in the near future.

Read article about them in today’s Sammamish Reporter.

The idea behind K.I.D.S. is simple. “One caring response to one child in the crisis of poverty with one donation of a new piece of clothing or shoes, a toy or book of their own or an educational product.  It’s about one gift, to one child at a time that builds hope, self-esteem and an opportunity to succeed.  Our local agency partner network, nearly a thousand agencies strong, represents a broad and diverse range of  organizations, all of which are dedicated to helping the lives of children in poverty and families at risk.”

We are so pleased to have been selected as one of their partners!

GreatNonprofits

In partnership with GuideStar, Kiva, the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, MADRE, Wider Opportunities for Women, Dress for Success, Women’s Media Center, Women’s News Network, and Women’s Philanthropy—Women’s Issues, this campaign is identifying the top-rated women’s nonprofits  

You can read what others have said about us and add your review  here.

The fun began when students started filling birthday bags and adding a ribbon to each one.  They quickly became cheerful givers!

Here’s what one parent recently told us:

I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the bag of birthday gifts for my daughter who turned 9. I am overwhelmed by your generosity, and I praise God for people like you who give generously of their time and the donation. My daughter was excited to receive some new toys. For me, a Mom, I am struggling to pay bills and was unsure how to celebrate with my daughter until I was blessed with your generous gift. Thank You! My needs were met at a difficult time in my life so my daughter was not disappointed. Thank YOU!                   Sincerely, Deanna

Join the Cheerful Givers Birthday Club today!

We are most grateful for a wonderful donation of these amazing toys!

3rd, 4th and 5th graders at St. John the Baptist School in Savage, Minnesota took time on their spring break to learn about Cheerful Givers and to fill some birthday bags. In reflecting on their activity, they each wrote about one thing they learned. Anna, age 11, said “I learned there are 140,000 kids that don’t get birthday presents in Minnesota” and Emma, age 9, commented “That not everybody gets presents but everybody deserves one.”

After competing in a team-building activity called Birthday Bag Bingo, the kids demonstrated their artistic ability in a smiling coloring contest.