Posts by category: Birthdays
March 21st, 2011 | Birthdays, Donations, Events, News
Saturday, April 9th is being proclaimed “Cheerful Givers Day” throughout Minnesota by our Governor, and you are invited to join us at “The Great Minnesota Birthday Party” from 1-3 pm at the Mall of America.
A few hightlights include:
- Elizabeth Ries of Twin Cities Live will be MC
- “Cheer Off” by local high school groups
- Tim Mahoney unveils a new Cheerful Givers birthday song
- Performance by recording artist Kathleen Johnson
- Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
- Miss Minnesota USA 2011, Miss Minnesota Outstanding Teen, Miss Minnesota Collegiate, Miss Minnesota High School & other local celebrities available for photographs
- Minnesota Twins mascot, TC Bear & Lynx mascot, Prowl
- Coloring contests and face painting for kids
- Experience a Kinect (courtesy of The Microsoft Store)
- Treats and fun for all
Everyone is invited, and if you can’t make it, you can send your birthday present (for kids who don’t get any)via an online donation.
Many thanks to our great sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Microsoft Store
The Minnesota Twins Wives Organization
Motorwerks MINI
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (Central Minneapolis, Northern Dakota & Washington Counties)
Silver Sponsors:
Bremer Bank
Cultural Care Au Pair
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March 10th, 2011 | Birthdays, Donations
Legacy giving is one way to convey your values through the creation of a future gift to a charity. Because the USA is experiencing the largest inter-generational transfer of wealth in history, it is important to learn more about what it means to leave a legacy.
Legacy gifts:
- Are for everybody, not just the wealthy
- Represent a meaningful way to reflect and express one’s values
- Strengthen the causes we care about for the long term
Most legacy giving revenue is generated by bequests which can be made by simply naming a charity as a beneficiary of a checking, savings, or other account.
For Cheerful Givers to grow and sustain itself, legacy gifts are essential to achieving a healthy future, which is why we greatly value legacy donors and the long-term support they provide.
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January 17th, 2011 | Birthdays, Volunteers
Sergeant Billy Todd learned about Cheerful Givers during a Timberwolves game at Target Center where he had a table set up for the US Army. He questioned our purpose and said “I like what I heard and read. I’ve heard the old cliché “It takes a village to raise a child,” and I look at Cheerful Givers as being a part of that village.”
“I was the oldest son. I grew-up a lot faster helping my Mom take care of my younger brothers and sister, and I did without many things that most kids enjoyed doing or having. I had many birthdays without gifts, and I believe gifts make a difference no matter how small, since they are one thing that will grant a smile.”
Sergeant Todd has been involved in a number of Cheerful Givers events. He proudly read the Governor’s 2010 Proclamation of Cheerful Givers Day at our annual Mall of America event and helped to assemble birthday bags on Make A Difference Day. The message he would like to send to others is “The organization speaks for itself — be a “Cheerful Giver.”
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January 3rd, 2011 | Birthdays, Children, Kids
There were 52,227 kids who were able to have a Happy Birthday in 2010 thanks to our wonderful volunteers, donors, partners and suppliers.
To every person who helped in any way, we want to shout out our THANKS!
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October 19th, 2010 | Birthdays, Giving, Holidays, Kids, Volunteers
Jamie Dylkowski learned about Cheerful Givers at a Volunteer Expo at the Mall of America two years ago. She brought the project idea to the Missions Commission at Linwood Covenant Church in Wyoming, MN and got the green light to host a Birthday Bag Bash. Jamie made a presentation to the congregation requesting donations and volunteers. The first event was a success so the Missions Commission asked her to make it an on-going mission.
Early in September Jamie made another presentation to the congregation including pictures from the first event and then received donations from the congregation and local community. On Oct. 15th, Jamie hosted a Reverse Birthday Party in the youth room at Linwood Covenant. The event was open to all ages. Six youth and ten adults participated. They “ assembled 50 gift bags, played party games, ate birthday cake, and prayed over the gift bags.” Their next event will be early in the spring.
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October 4th, 2010 | Birthdays, Book, News, Press
The book “A Glove of Their Own” – the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Children’s Book Award winner – inspires people from all walks of life to help disadvantaged children. An article now appearing in Baseball Digest features Michael Cuddyer of the Minnesota Twins, reading the book to his son, Casey.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will help provide birthday gifts for less fortunate kids when using the code CHG132 at the time of purchase at “A Glove of Their Own” website.
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July 8th, 2010 | Birthdays
By Dan Corbett (in Ireland)
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”. Continue reading »
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June 2nd, 2010 | Birthdays, Children, Donations, Kids, News, Volunteers
Cheerful Givers is proud to be one of 154 nonprofits qualified for the Top-Rated Women’s Empowerment Nonprofits List and during the coming weeks will be promoted as a top-rated organization on GreatNonprofits, Guidestar, and beyond.
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!”
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May 26th, 2010 | Birthdays, Children, Giving, News, Press, Volunteers
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.
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May 20th, 2010 | Birthdays, Children, Donations, Giving, Kids
Everyone knows how much kids love Disney videos, so we were thrilled to get a large donation of DVDs through the K.I.D.S. (Kids In Distressed Situations) organization.
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!
