Few milestones are as important to children as their birthdays. But foster kids sometimes don’t get a chance to celebrate, so West County Center has partnered with the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition (FACC) Birthday Buddies program to ensure local youngsters enjoy their special days. West County shoppers can participate, too, by purchasing a gift card to a child’s favorite store.
Natasha Leonard, director of external relations for FACC, says the Birthday Buddies program makes a tangible difference for kids in foster care. “It matches donors with children who are unlikely to receive anything for their birthdays,” she notes. “Often, they are older youth in an independent living program or institution with no adults in their lives who would buy them gifts.” FACC works to bring children together with foster and adoptive families in metro St. Louis, and the organization has enjoyed many success stories like those of the family members pictured on our cover.
The Birthday Buddies gift-giving process is pretty simple, but its effects run deep. Each child with an upcoming birthday provides a wish list, and the wishes are placed in envelopes on a large, decorative birthday cake on Level 1 of the mall near Nordstrom. Shoppers can take an envelope, purchase a gift card from the store indicated, and drop the donation inside the cake, which was made by Parties & Props Event Production Group.
West County Center marketing director Sean Phillips says donors can include a personal note to make the child’s birthday even more special. “Each child also receives a coupon for a free slice of cookie cake from Great American Cookies,” he says. “The timing of this program is perfect because we are tying it in with our celebration of Missouri’s 200th birthday this year. We plan to continue the Birthday Buddies initiative next year, too, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the shopping center’s reopening. We are happy to be able to serve the community in this way.”
FACC caseworkers have seen firsthand the joy kids feel when they realize people care about their happiness. “Some of our children would not receive gifts at all if it weren’t for the program,” says recruiter Maddie Bobbitt. “These are not just any gifts, either; the kids receive items they actually want. It’s huge for a child in foster care to see birthday wishes come to life.” Family support specialist Karen Alyasiry agrees that the kids truly are touched by St. Louisans’ generosity.
“To know that someone in the community is thinking of them and wanting to celebrate them brings comfort to their hearts,” she says. “Giving is not just about making a donation; it’s about making a difference.”
Leonard says that when a girl in foster care was asked recently about the gifts she had received, she replied, “It was huge that somebody in the world thought about me and felt that I mattered.”
West County Center is partnering with the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition on a Birthday Buddies program to provide gifts for foster kids. Pictured on the cover: FACC parent Tonya with young people who have been adopted through the organization. For more information, visit shopwestcountycenter.com.
Cover design by Julie Streiler
Cover photo by Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography