The Birthday Dreams’ 2023 Gala of Dreams will be held on Saturday, October 14 at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington.

This year we will host 400 guests in the gorgeous Grand Ballroom! The Gala will once again be hosted by our dynamic duo of entertainment, Emcee, Brooke Fox and Auctioneer, Ron Hippe!

The semi-formal attire event will feature appetizers and musical entertainment provided by The Tasty Waves during the cocktail hour. Of course, the Gala will feature an incredible line-up of live and silent auction items, a delightful dinner, guest speakers, raise-the-paddle, dessert dash, as well as some terrific speakers sharing their own Birthday Dreams’ experiences. The evening will conclude with a raffle drawing where participants can win round-trip airfare anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Onsite Party Volunteers Needed | Sign Up to Help

In order to continue hosting parties at the shelters, we need volunteers to attend these very fun birthday celebrations. Without volunteers, we will need to cancel these parties. These parties exist to give the community fun ways to engage in giving back. If you are able to help volunteer, please click here to sign up to assist. Prior to signing up, please make sure to read the descriptions and notes to see if there are any restrictions (i.e., age requirement).

Sunday, October 8 (1-3pm) at Mary’s Place Regrade in Downtown Seattle - 11 volunteers (age 18+)

Saturday, October 21 (1-3pm) at Hope Place in S. Seattle - 9 volunteers (age 12+)

Sunday, October 22 (1:30-3:30pm) at Mary’s Place Burien - 12 volunteers (age 18+)

Wednesday, October 25 (6-8pm) at YWCA Passage Point in Maple Valley - 7 volunteers

Tuesday, November 7 (6-8pm) at Mary’s Place Northshore in N. Seattle - 8 volunteers

The feedback below was provided by a parent who was able to give their child a birthday party to remember, thanks to Birthday Dreams. This is why, with your support, we continue to do what we do:

“I asked for a dinosaur party and Birthday Dreams outdid themselves!!! We are very thankful for you guys... thank you so much for making [my child's] birthday a year for memories. We loved everything. The cake was delicious, and my son loved his gifts! Also thank you for the decorations. We really appreciated everything you guys did!! Keep up the awesome work and may God bless you all!”

Last month, Birthday Dreams was once again honored to be one of the charities that benefitted from The Randall Morris Foundation's Annual Gala and Celebrity Golf Tournament.

Professional athletes, musical entertainers, and amazingly generous individuals were among the 300 in attendance at the Gala, which took place at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington on September 10th.

The following morning, a group of 100+ golfers teed off at the Fairwood Golf & Country Club; the weather was perfect, and the teams were all engaged in great competition for a great cause!

As always, both events were a resounding success.

We are so thankful to The Randall Morris Foundation for once again selecting Birthday Dreams as one of its benefitting nonprofit organizations this year.

We asked, and once again Chick-fil-A delivered! Since 2021, Chick-fil-A has supported Birthday Dreams. In addition to the tremendously successful “Sweet Dreams” point-of-sale fundraiser that Chick-fil-A organizes for us in the Spring, they provide us with hundreds of kids' meal cards.

Team members from Heritage Bank chose to volunteer for Birthday Dreams on their bank-wide Volunteer Day on September 13th. They said, “Your organization’s commitment to our shared values of giving back and making a positive impact aligns perfectly with our mission at Heritage.” The group of volunteers made a lot of party hats and was fun to have in the office. Thank you to all of them for their support and commitment to making a difference!

Birthday Dreams staff and board hosted a booth at Newcastle Days on September 9th. The team met a lot of people from the community, signed on new volunteers, and were fortunate to receive some monetary donations. We hope to participate again next year and perhaps also participate in the parade.

Each month Birthday Dreams receives grant awards from our terrific foundation partners. Without their support, we could not do what we do. Last month we received grants from the following partners. We are incredibly thankful for their support.

• Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions - $3,000
• Hazel Miller Foundation - $2,500

Over the past five years, Jen Pack has helped with the design for many of our events, including past galas, as well as this year's Gala. We are so grateful to have someone as talented as Jen volunteering her time, and with this year's Gala just over a week away, we felt it only fitting that we put her "in the spotlight." Below are a few words from Jen:

“I first learned about Birthday Dreams in November 2018 when I was looking for volunteer opportunities for my child’s Girl Scout troop. I saw on their website they needed Web Development help and volunteered my services. I am a freelance graphic designer and I have provided some website support, but mostly graphic design assistance for Birthday Dreams. My first project was a poster design for the 10th Anniversary Celebration and since then I’ve created invitations and other graphics for Miles for Smiles and the Gala of Dreams every year since I started volunteering, along with some other designs here and there as needed. I continue to volunteer for Birthday Dreams because I believe every child deserves to be celebrated.”