YMCA Teens take active role in Martin Luther King Jr.Day of Service

This Monday (Martin Luther King Day) the Y Teen Leaders Group will be collecting donations for Birthday Wishes in the Lobby of the Y.

Birthday Wishes brings the magic of a birthday party to thousands of homeless
children each year. Founded in 2002 as a volunteer organization serving one
local shelter, Birthday Wishes has expanded its program to serve more than 175
shelters and transitional living facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
Long Island, New York. Our goal is to provide birthday parties to all homeless
children in Massachusetts and to make our model available to homeless family
programs nationwide.  Last year they were able to provide birthday parties to 19,000 children who would not have received one otherwise.

We will be collecting the following items for donation:

• Juice boxes (big need right now)
• Plastic forks and spoons  
• Generic party paper goods (streamers, table cloths, “happy birthday” banners, plates, napkins, etc.)
• $10 Shaws or Stop & Shop gift cards (for cakes)

Please note that we cannot accept:

• Used toys, books or stuffed animals (even lightly-used)
• Candy
• Goody bag items that present a choking hazard to children under 3
• Clothing, toiletries, etc. for adults
• Any party supplies that are not in unopened, original packaging

For more information about Birthday Wishes, you can visit their website at www.birthdaywishes.org

If you can’t make it to donate on Monday, we will be accepting donations at the front desk until Wednesday January 23rd.