Funds raised from this event directly support Birthday Dreams’ mission to bring hope, joy, and a sense of self-worth by providing homeless children with the gift of a birthday celebration.  

All modes of movement count in this inclusive activity challenge and you will be a part of raising the spirits of the homeless children we serve, and inspiring hope for a brighter future. 

An email invitation with additional details and the registration link will go out next month. We look forward to your participation in this amazing FUNdrasing event.

Help Us Get 2025 Off to a Strong Start

Last year was a challenge for many nonprofits; Birthday Dreams was no exception. Of course, we are so grateful for the amazing community support throughout 2024, culminating in some very successful drives that can be read about in this newsletter. That said, we need your help to get 2025 off to a good start! 

We humbly ask you to kick off your year with a donation to Birthday Dreams. Whether a $10 donation for juice boxes and goodie bags, a $150 donation to fund an entire Birthday-in-a- Box, or any denomination in between, YOUR GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

To give, visit our secure website.  

Happy New Year to you all and our thanks and appreciation for your continued support of Birthday Dreams! 

Join Our Board of Directors and Make Dreams Come True! 

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children? Birthday Dreams is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to join our Board of Directors!  

As a board member, you'll have the opportunity to:  

• Shape the future of our organization 
• Support our mission to provide birthday parties for homeless children 
• Collaborate with a dynamic and passionate team 

If you are interested in learning about Board service, please contact Executive Director Chris Spahn at chris@birthdaydreams.org. Let's make every child's birthday a special one!  

A big shout-out and heartfelt thank you to the outgoing and emeritus board members. We appreciate your service and dedication! Your commitment to our mission has been instrumental in driving our success and making a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve. We are incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and compassionate group of individuals on our board.  

The following feedback was provided by a mother, who after losing her dad and brother two months apart became homeless. Now in a transitional housing program, she found Birthday Dreams and was overwhelmed to find despite her circumstances she could give her 14-year-old son a Birthday to remember. Citing the positive impact on his life, this is what she had to say,

"Thank you, guys, so much! [My son] was super excited and very thankful for everything. He loved the wrestling cake. It was so neat. He loves all of his gifts... He got to feel important and have a day to celebrate him...he needed it. You guys are so amazing."

With your support, we are committed to continuing to bring hope and joy to the community we serve through the gift of a birthday celebration.

Thai Nguyen and Agent Investors Group EXP Real Estate Make Holidays Merry and Warm

Over the past eight years, our partners Thai Nguyen and the Agent Investors Group/EXP Real Estate have organized their Holiday Toy & Coat Drive benefitting Birthday Dreams. Their 2024 event held December 15 at Ocha Thai Restaurant made the holidays merry and bright for attendees and Birthday Dreams families alike! Thai and her team collected over 750 items, valued upwards of $6,000.

We are so thankful to have Thai and her amazing team's long-time and generous support! 

Toys for Tots Helps Close Out Year with Stocked Shelves

The US Marine Corps Toys for Tots program had a surplus of donations from its 2024 holiday toy drive, and Birthday Dreams was the lucky beneficiary of that surplus. We received two truckloads worth over $3200. With their support, we closed out 2025 with stocked shelves. 

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Toys for Tots drive and to the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots program for being a steadfast donor for so many years! 

Friend of Birthday Dream Donates Birthday

A big thank you to Pam Rosendahl for sharing her Birthday with Birthday Dreams. Pam and her generous friends donated 50 gifts, cake and lots of juice. Happy birthday, Pam!

Grants

Without the grant awards generously endowed by our foundation partners, we could not do what we do. Over the past three months, we received grants from the following partners:

First Financial Northwest Bank Foundation | $10,000 

The Glaser Foundation | $3,500  

Franz Bakery Foundation | $3,000                  

Kiwanis Club of Issaquah | $750  

The troop leader said, "We were happy to participate in the program and would love to do it again! [The troop] especially loved baking and designing the dino birthday cake and had [the birthday boy] in mind throughout this process. We hope he had a terrific birthday celebration. This could be a great project for Girl Scout troops in general, we will certainly share this idea with our local troop leaders if they are looking for a service project."

We are so very thankful to Troop 41961 for their donation, for setting such a great example, and for spreading the word about Birthday Dreams mission. 

Mae McMullin Delivers Hope

The amazing Mae McMullin recently made her 1000th party delivery and she is still going strong; she says she intends to continue as long as she is able. We are so thankful for volunteers like Mae who deliver much-needed and deserved joy to so many in need.

Regarding volunteering her time to deliver Birthdays-in-a-Box, Mae said, "I love the feedback from whoever is home to accept the party box. They are always so appreciative. I sort of get all the credit, and all I do is drive around. But I realize that is a key component."

A BIG Birthday Dreams thank you to the new and renewing Birthday Club members who generously donated to Birthday Dreams in December 2024, those individuals and businesses are listed below.

• 1630 Hair Artisans LLC 
• Amazon 
• Armondo and Angela Pavone 
• Bob Akers 
• Cameron Stratton 
• Carla Schippers 
• Christopher Wells 
• Derek & Karol Jamison 
• Eric Wright 
• Heidi MacDonald 
• Katherine Baker 
• Kathleen Sesnon 
• Kiwanis Club of Issaquah 
• Mr. Lawrence & Mrs. Kincaid-Lawrence 
• Nagender Parimi 
• Samantha Jensen 
• Seng Thor 
• Steve and Gail Kaneko 
• The White Family Charitable Fund