Family throws birthday parties for thousands of homeless kids

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://todaynews.today.com/_news/2013/04/04/17588383-family-throws-birthday-parties-for-thousands-of-homeless-kids?lite

The North Carolina family's project has since grown into the nonprofit Bright Blessings, which has now marked the birthdays of more than 10,000 needy kids

The Cervantes put on group celebrations for children whose birthdays fall in the same month, throwing parties with cake, cupcakes, games and presents.

At the first bash they held, the family was most surprised that the majority of kids at the shelter had never attended a birthday party, let alone had one of their own. The homeless children often experience firsts at the parties, from blowing out candles (“Can I do it again?”) to keeping the gifts they’ve unwrapped (“Do I get to keep these?”).

Amy recalled asking one 16-year-old how he was enjoying the party. "He looks up and he was so polite," she said, remembering that he told her, "Oh, yes ma’am. I love everything, but I’ve never had a room full of people sing to me on my birthday."

“One 10-year-old we gave a football and he was throwing it around with John,” Amy said. “At the end of the party, he came up and gave my husband a hug and said ‘Thank you, Mr. John, for letting me play with this on my birthday’ and gave it back.”

Getting new presents is a novelty for many of the birthday girls and boys. One little girl who found a purse beneath the gift-wrapping took a sniff of her new handbag and noted how fresh it smelled.

The Cervantes family took the birthday celebrations, which started in shelters, to schools, after noticing that birthdays are often blasted at school and many students bring treats to share with their classmates. For transient homeless children, who may be staying with friends, family, or in a motel or car, Bright Blessings now sends anonymous packages with birthday snacks and gifts to their schools

[allan01]

1. re:Family throws birthday parties for thousands of homeless kids

[FSogol]

2. Awesome family. n/t

[dembotoz]

3. very nice

[tavalon]

4. Things like this are things that give me some hope for the human race

Not much hope, but some. Perhaps as global warming throws all of us into a smaller melting pot, we'll become more open, rather than less open, to each other. Imagine if we all opened our homes to homeless people and in the future, refugees from the areas that will flood or in other ways be destroyed by global climate change. And I don't mean for a day or a week, I mean that we form chosen families with those who pass our way.

I have the song, Imagine, running through my head right now.

Thank you Liberal, for sharing this.

[a kennedy]

5. This just breaks my heart....

“One 10-year-old we gave a football and he was throwing it around with John,” Amy said. “At the end of the party, he came up and gave my husband a hug and said ‘Thank you, Mr. John, for letting me play with this on my birthday’ and gave it back.”

[Skittles]

6. can I has one?

I've never had one

[malaise]

7. How beautiful

The things we take for granted

[JDPriestly]

8. What a beautiful story!

Inspiring. K&R.

[Sissyk]

9. What a wonderful story!

Thank you for bringing this here.

Maybe this will inspire us all to do something this week for a child in need.

[Grateful for Hope]

10. What a wonderful family!

This warms my heart.