Funds raised 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. As a participant in Birthday Dreams’ Miles for Smiles Activity Challenge, YOU will be a part of raising the spirits of the homeless children we serve, inspiring hope for a brighter future. Need a little more encouragement? Check out this fun video testimonial from three-time Miles for Smiles participants from Terex/Genie.

Interested in supporting Miles for Smiles as a sponsor? Please contact our Development Director Jarod Drozdowski with inquiries. A huge thank you to our current 2025 sponsors for their support!

Summit Dance Company Benefit Show

Birthday Dreams is proud to partner with Summit Dance Company on its fourth annual Raising the Barre benefit show. 

The two-hour performance will take place on Sunday, May 18, at the Kirkland Performance Center and will feature all Summit Dance Company Team Dances from the 2024-25 season. Tickets will go on sale on April 21 and are expected to sell out quickly.

In addition to donating all proceeds to Birthday Dreams, Summit will host a pre-show date Toy and Birthday Supplies Donation Drive for Birthday Dreams. The drive will run from April 19 through May 17.

Learn more about the Raising the Barre performance here.

Everyone is invited to attend the performance and cheer on the talented Summit Dance Company dancers as we come together to raise funds for Birthday Dreams.

Gates Foundation Discovery Center

Birthday Dreams is thrilled to be chosen by the Gates Foundation to be featured in its Discover Center in Seattle. Now, through June 7, visitors can create a birthday party hat for Birthday Dreams in the Discover Center's Take Action space. The Discover Center is open from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free. “Arrive curious, leave inspired.” 

The parent feedback we receive is a constant reminder of why we do it. The following feedback is from a parent who was able to give her child a special birthday because of Birthday Dreams.

"I asked for help because I have no income at the moment and couldn't afford a present or cake. Thank you very much for the help with my child's birthday this year. It put a smile on his face and made his day. [He was] very happy...he loved the Lego set and gift card a lot. It really helped me to be able to give him a present...Couldn't have done it without ya'll. Thank you."

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

Rugby for Our Cause Results

Thank you to the Seattle Seawolves and all the fans who came out to Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila on March 29. Birthday Dreams received 10% of the proceeds for every ticket sold through the Seattle Seawolves non-profit link.

The Seattle Seawolves battled back from a halftime deficit to defeat Anthem Rugby Carolina 27-17! At halftime, the crowd rose to its feet for the Pasifika Haka Halftime Show. Birthday Dreams was also featured and recognized during halftime. We had an information booth at the game where we spread the word about our cause and received donations from Seawolves fans.

The highlight of the day for us was the birthday celebration that we helped organize for a young man who turned 16. His family and friends were present and received complimentary Seawolves match tickets from the team and enjoyed an amazing cake made by volunteer cake-baker Chris Wells. It was a birthday experience they will not soon forget! 

Teen Action Fair Recap

The March 22nd Teen Action Fair at the Gates Foundation Discovery Center had a huge turnout! Organized by its Youth Ambassador Program, the fair featured local organizations, such as Birthday Dreams, and provided teens an opportunity to discover how they can make a difference in their community. Fair goers made 120 goody bags, with supplies generously donated by the Foundation, which were delivered to our office! Thank you to Simona Zappas for inviting us to the Fair and to the Gates Foundation for their continued support.

The Gates Foundation Discovery Center's Youth Ambassadors Program (YAP) engages Seattle-area high-school-aged youth who want to raise awareness about local and global issues and create youth-focused programs to inspire positive social change.

Our thanks to the Junior League of Seattle. Ongoing supporters of Birthday Dreams, they really rocked it in March, donating the supplies for and creating 230 goody bags. They are planning to donate more time to Birthday Dreams during their April Meeting, and we can’t wait to see what they do! Thank you to Tamara Jacobs for continuing this partnership. 

It was a pleasure working with volunteers from Whole Foods as part of its Community Connections program. Thank you, Nicole Levine, for connecting us with this great group! We are working on adding a new project to our community event opportunities; the Whole Foods group was a big help in testing the process. And they loved our mission so much that they took the party hat templates back to the store with them; we are excited to see what they create! 

Eight amazing volunteers from BECU came into the office to make birthday cards and assemble friendship bracelet kits. They all understood the mission and were willing to do what was needed to get it done! We are so grateful for their continued support. We can’t wait to see them again in November. 

Tomio Stoner learned about Birthday Dreams from a family friend who recommended it as a good organization to volunteer with for his high school service project. For the past year-and-a-half, Tomio has been baking at least one cake a month for Birthday Dreams (36 cakes to date)! Tomio said, “I really like to bake cakes, and I've been fortunate to have fun birthday celebrations for my birthdays. I want to help make other kids' birthdays special, too.” 

Tomio took an interest in cake baking and decorating during the pandemic. He leveraged his time at home to take online classes; he learned to make different themed cakes and learned different piping techniques (rosettes are his favorite). Family and friends were fortunate to be his cake testers, helping him perfect his talent, which he now shares with Birthday Dreams. Tomio said, “It's fun to design the cakes to match the birthday party themes. My favorite cake themes are Mickey and Minnie Mouse because I get to eat the leftover Oreos. I also like making doughnut cakes with a bundt pan. My favorite cake flavor is chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It feels great to make delicious cakes and know that another kid is celebrating their birthday [with my cake]. It's especially rewarding to make a cake for someone my age or my younger brother's age. I feel like I really make a difference.” 

Fun fact: Tomio was recently voted Bake Club president at Newport High School in Bellevue, where he is a sophomore. 

Tomio's cakes (like the ones pictured) are often featured in the Amazing Cakes Made with Love section of our newsletter. To those considering baking cakes for Birthday Dreams, Tomio says, “It's a great organization that is very welcoming to volunteers. You can bake the cakes on your own schedule and be creative with the designs.”

In addition to baking cakes, Tomio has also helped at our annual Gala. Birthday Dreams is so thankful to Tomio for all he does for our organization and the kids we serve. 

Robbie Liddane is new to Birthday Dreams and has jumped right in to deliver parties and volunteer at onsite parties at Mary’s Place in Burien. She has also recruited her friend to volunteer for us! 

Robbie learned of Birthday Dreams when she stopped by our booth at Renton River Days last summer; she knew immediately that Birthday Dreams was an organization she could fully embrace. Providing context behind her draw to Birthday Dreams, Robbie said, “Coming from a gigantic family, I'm passionate about doing my best to nurture and support children. I’m grateful now to be able to give time and consideration to a larger community. Loading up my car each week to make deliveries, I am in awe of the care that goes into each party. It's so satisfying to be a part of the team that makes it possible to celebrate these children. Occasionally, the gifts and cakes are handed off directly to the parents, and their genuine appreciation is heartfelt and heartwarming. The satisfaction of having this opportunity to, in one small way, bring some joy and hope to these deserving families is unmeasurable."