NO Birthday Gifts

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Celebrate while assisting a favorite charity

by Lisa Nord Seplak

When the pile of presents a child gets for his birthday seems bigger than gifts at Christmas, it’s time for a lesson in giving.
Consider hosting a charitable birthday party this year. Your child will still enjoy celebrating the big day with friends and family, but instead of bringing a gift, ask your guests to bring a donation to a charity of your child’s choice. Limit gift giving to family members or one big present from mom and dad.
The giving can center around your child’s interests or the theme of the celebration. Here are some ideas to get the party started.

For your sporty child

Consider an activity like swimming, soccer, indoor ice skating, miniature golf, bowling, a bounce house at home or an indoor inflatables destination. Ask your guests to bring new or used shoes and clothing for Soles4Souls (soles4souls.org). This organization distributes donations to the needy in the United States and countries in Central and South America and Africa. Or find a local charity that accepts used athletic equipment to help sports leagues for underprivileged youth. The website sportsgift.org donates new equipment to needy kids around the world. Ask your guests to round up their kids’ old sports gear to donate or ask them to purchase something new.

For the animal lover

Contact your local humane society to find out if they host birthday parties. If not, throw the party at home and have the kids bring toys, towels or blankets or anything else your humane society suggests for their homeless pets. Or take a trip to the zoo. Ask your guests to donate to the World Wildlife fund (worldwildlife.org) and they can adopt an animal they’d like to help. Adoptable animals include elephants, penguins, tigers and pandas. Or, if you’re brave enough, throw a party with the local lizard guy at your house. Encourage guests to make donations to Heifer International (heifer.org) and let kids pick from a gift of ducks, chickens, goats, pigs or any of the other animals Heifer International will provide to needy families in developing nations. The National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org) also maintains an adopt-an-animal program. With a donation, you can adopt a gray wolf, harp seal or great horned owl to name a few.

For your little chef

Try hosting a cooking party for your little food lover. Check to see if a local venue like a specialty grocery store or cooking school hosts parties for kids or if there is a business that will come to your home and conduct a class. Or, use your own kitchen and host a pizza making party. Provide chef hats and individual pizza crusts for each child and a variety of toppings and let them make their own pie. Or make homemade ice cream and provide a choice of toppings like fruit, chocolate or caramel sauce, candies, or crushed cookies. Ask your guests to bring food to donate to your local food pantry.

Host a Happy Doll party

For a child that loves dolls, Happydoll.org provides dolls and all the materials needed so your guests can decorate a doll for a needy child. Each guest gets a cloth doll and non-toxic pens to design their own unique doll. Each doll has a specific tracking code so you can track where each decorated doll has traveled. Dolls are shipped to needy children throughout the U.S. and the world, including Haiti, India and China.

For the generous child

If your child just wants a simple but fun birthday party without a specific theme, host a cake and ice cream, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, musical chairs, and piñata kind of party that you may have enjoyed as a child. Consider donating to the children’s ward of a local hospital or to Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities. Or collect books and school supplies to donate to a church or other organization that helps local kids in need.