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News, Updates & Opportunities
April 2022
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Help Grant a Homeless Child's Birthday Dreams
Register Yourself or a Team for the Miles for Smiles Virtual 5K
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We are less than two months from the start of Birthday Dreams’ 2nd Annual Spring Fundraiser, the Miles for Smiles 5K! The 5K starts on Friday, May 27th and “runs” through Friday, June 10th.
Register individually, or better yet, get a group together and register a team!
Run, walk, or roll at your own pace and in your own way – it’s the movement that matters!
Visit smiles.birthdaydreams.org to register today!
Many thanks to our amazing event sponsors.
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Earlier this year, a mother of a teenage boy worried about balancing the need to build a savings with celebrating her son's birthday. The pair were living in shelter housing and finances were/are tight.
While her teenage son said he didn't need a party, this mother knew her son needed to feel special on his special day. She said, "Birthday Dreams made it possible for me to make accommodations [for a party] possible." When asked about her son's reaction to the party she said, "It put a smile on his heart when I gave him presents and cake."
Our donors are essential to our continued ability to put "smiles on the hearts of children." Please consider donating now or during the upcoming GiveBig Annual Campaign, which kicks off on April 19 and culminates in a 48-hour giving event May 3 and 4. Schedule your donation before 11:59 pm, Wednesday, May 4th to #GiveBig with us.
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Community Support and Recognition |
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Grant Awards
Our sincere thanks and appreciation to our grant funders! These above grants will directly fund Birthday Dreams general operations.
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Gates Family Foundations ($5,000)
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Ginkgo Foundation ($250)
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The W Group Makes Generous Gift Card Donation
Birthday Dreams thanks The W Group for donating $625 worth of assorted gift cards. The cards will be used to purchase gifts for upcoming birthday celebrations. Our friends at #TheWGroupNW are simply Amazing.
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Cat Stabio began volunteering with Birthday Dreams in May of 2020, having learned about our organization through a friend. At that time, the pandemic had just hit. A lot was changing in our community, and around the world. What hadn't changed was our need for volunteers.
Cat was looking for ways that she and her children (ages 6 and 8) could make a difference in the community, she soon discovered that Birthday Dreams was a perfect fit.
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Cat began picking up party hats and goody bags from our office, which she and her family assembled, decorated and returned to the office. Cat commented how she really appreciated the opportunity to do this with her entire family; how it helped to teach her children the importance of giving back. Here at Birthday Dreams, we LOVE seeing kids helping kids and are so thankful for the support of parents like Cat who make that possible. Cat, we appreciate YOU!
In addition to involving her family, Cat recently hosted a Birthday Dreams volunteer event as part of her church's monthly women's group service project (photo above). Perhaps one of the most exciting things that came out of the event was that six women have since signed up to volunteer; one woman has already baked a rainbow cake for a 5-year old's party.
Thank you, Cat for being such an important volunteer and a great ambassador of Birthday Dreams.
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Awesome Cakes Delivered with Love |
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Sibling sisters turning one and seven were treated to this amazing rainbow cake baked by Lauren Hammer. Our thanks to Jim Waugh for the delivery.
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Cake baker Aubrey Larson created this cake for a dino-loving boy turning three. Braden Buck delivered the yummy surprise along with a variety of dino-themed toys.
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You guessed it! It's a donut party for a sweet girl turning 10. Cake baker Tasha Kammerzell pulled out all the stops on this tasty creation, which was delivered by Mae McMullin.
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Volunteer Orientation and Opportunities
Upcoming in-person orientations:
- Saturday, May at 11AM
- Tuesday, May at 6PM
Contact our Community Events Coordinator, Leah Battin, at Leah@birthdaydreams.org for team building and service project opportunities.
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Follow us on Facebook! Cake and delivery needs are posted weekly. A list of upcoming parties and party needs can be found here.
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Office and Party Supply Needs
We rely on our donors and volunteers to make birthday dreams come true. This month we are in particular need of the following items:
- Scotch Magic Tape refills 3/4" x 1000"
- Letter size envelopes 4 1/8" x 9 1/2"
- Card size envelopes 10 cm x 21.1cm
We are always in need of:
- Juice (gallon jugs or boxes)
- Large gift bags, clothing boxes and bows
- Gift Cards in $10 - $25 denominations
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Welcome Intern Madeline Weinzierl
Hello! I am Madaline Weinzierl and I am very excited to be Birthday Dreams new Marketing and Development Intern! I go to Western Washington University and I am majoring in Business Marketing with a minor in Psychology. My hometown is Puyallup, home to the Washington State Fair (but it will always be the Puyallup Fair in my heart). I have a passion for nature and exploring the Pacific Northwest, I enjoy reading and cooking new recipes! I also like playing and adventuring in Dungeons and Dragons with friends. I can’t wait to do some great work for Birthday Dreams!”
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Sheryl Mattausch Passes the Pen to Sandra Lowe |
At Birthday Dreams, we value communicating our appreciation through handwritten thank you cards. This takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention good handwriting. |
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We would like to thank Sheryl Mattausch, who recently retired as our amazing thank you card writer. Sheryl has been writing Birthday Dreams thank you notes since 2019. Over the years, she has also baked a couple dozen cakes, delivered birthday boxes when needed and she and her husband Barry have separated tons of candy donations.
Sheryl took over from another awesome volunteer, Denise Mackey. Like Sheryl, in addition to writing thank you cards, Denise has baked upwards of 70 cakes for Birthday Dreams.
Shout out to Geri Buchman, our first thank you card writer. Geri wrote beautiful thank you cards for four years. Her handwriting was so elegant, it looked like a script font.
Birthday Dreams is blessed to have so many lovely, dedicated volunteers.
Sandra Lowe, welcome and T
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We want to welcome Sandra Lowe as our new Thank You Card Writer. While new to the position, Sandra is not new to our organization. Sandra has helped with group parties and regularly donates juice, which is an "always-in-need" item. We look forward to highlighting Sandra in a future newsletter. |
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Birthday Dreams thanks the following Birthday Club members who joined or renewed their membership in March. We appreciate your generous support:
Ciera Young, Sav-On Insurance, Wende Wahl, Anytime Roofing, Inc., Jerome & Janet Barker, Jeffrey and Shera Alan Isakson, Ginkgo Foundation, Cascades Chiropractic, Jerelyn Hampton, AmazonSmile Program, The United Way of King County, Monroe Machined Products, The Gates Family Office Corp., Laura Cameron and James Ardinssono.
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Please continue spreading the word about Birthday Dreams to your friends,
family, and colleagues. We'd love to grow the club with more amazing people like you!
If you are not a current Birthday Club member and would like to join, please visit:
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