Star Tribune: Eagan-based Cheerful Givers offers a way to say 'Thanks, Mom'
Star Tribune  4/28/04
Cheerful Givers has a simple mission: to brighten and celebrate the lives of those in need. The Eagan charity makes sure places such as shelters and food shelves have gift bags on hand for parents who are looking for some way -- any way -- to celebrate a child's birthday. Working with churches, corporations, scout troops and others, Cheerful Givers says it has distributed more than 70,000 birthday bags, including 18,580 last year.

This year's goal is to exceed 20,000. Cheerful Givers makes it easy to get involved, with detailed instructions at http://www.cheerfulgivers.org for making donations or organizing an event to put gift bags together. Some groups get together a few dozen birthday bags; others do thousands at once. For Mother's Day (May 9), Cheerful Givers is accepting donations in honor of mothers and will post a list of those mothers under the heading "Very Appreciated Persons" on its Web site.

Reyne Branchaud-Linsk, executive director of the Dakota Woodlands Shelter, says in a note posted on the Cheerful Givers Web site that elementary-age children often ask her, "What about birthdays? Do homeless kids have birthdays?" Yes, they do, and south of the river, there's somebody making sure those birthdays get celebrated.

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