For a child living in a homeless shelter, a birthday can be one of the first things to quietly disappear. One nonprofit has spent 15 years making sure it doesn’t. Extra-Ordinary Birthdays, founded in 2010 by former professional party planner Schinnell Leake, has organized more than 1,700 personalized parties for children in shelters across D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
The process is as personal as it sounds. Parents fill out a form choosing their child’s colors, gifts, decorations and cake. Volunteers wrap and pack everything a week before the celebration, then arrive as “birthday angels” to decorate and spend about an hour celebrating with the family. Every child at the party receives at least one book. The most recent celebration was a pink-themed party for Yalina, who turned 7, at a Washington, D.C. shelter where she lives with her mother and two siblings.
The need is significant. Federal data estimates more than a million children in America are considered homeless. Here on the Suncoast, where we know what it looks like to rally around neighbors in hard times, there are local shelters and family organizations that welcome volunteers and donations for similar efforts. Have you ever helped celebrate a birthday for a child in need? Tell us about it in the comments.
