In 2009, two moms who volunteered together began looking for ways to do more for the community. Chris Spahn and Shannon Avery saw a need that no other local organization was filling and thus
Birthday Dreams was born. Founded on the principle that children who are experiencing homelessness need a reason to keep going every day, need a day where they can forget
about their situation, have fun, be honored, and reminded that their community cares about them.
Through partnerships with over 80 shelters in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties, we provide a complete birthday party to children who would not otherwise have one.
These parties include everything- gifts, cake, tableware, party hats, goodie bags, balloons, juice, and games. Our dedicated staff and network of passionate volunteers create,
bake, assemble and hand-deliver a Birthday-In-A-Box for every request.
Our birthday parties provide hope to children during a very difficult time in their lives. A vast majority of our recipients are children of single mothers- women who are
fleeing domestic violence or whose income cannot keep up with skyrocketing housing costs. We believe all children are worth honoring and work hard to do so. At Birthday Dreams,
we envision a community where every child is celebrated and thrives.
From humble beginnings in our founders’ garages, to almost 1,500 birthdays celebrated in 2019, we want to reach more children each year. With steady increases in party requests
year after year, we expect the demand to continue to grow. With the help of our dedicated staff, army of volunteers, and generous contributions, our goal is to ensure every homeless
child is celebrated on their birthday.
Building Communities
Strong partnerships with businesses, local government, schools, family foundations and nonprofit agencies has sustained Birthday Dreams through the years. In-kind support comes
from individuals, groups and companies such as Foremost Printing, teams from Microsoft, T-Mobile, Boeing and Starbucks; and partnerships with local businesses who
provide locations for birthday party celebrations.
