Claudia & Michael Cuddyer

228 less fortunate children will have Happy Birthdays thanks to the great support of the Minnesota Twins Wives and players who filled birthday bags following their winning game on July 18th. Special thanks to Claudia and Michael Cuddyer for helping to organize this fun event. 

Watch for some great autographed Minnesota Twins items to be auctioned off  during our Social Summer Online Fundraiser throughout August. 

Two year-olds through kindergarten age children who participate in the Sunday School program at Maple Grove Evangelical Free Church earned their own money by doing chores, sacrificing a trip to McDonalds and saving their allowance to purchase birthday gifts which filled 62 birthday bags.  One young girl even used her own birthday money.  Bre Pilon, who organized the event, said “The response is amazing even at such a young age.  Thank you for giving us this opportunity to teach our children to think beyond themselves…”

The atmosphere of birthday parties in Ireland is often very specific. Large gatherings of gift-bearing family and friends are accompanied by plenty of food and drink along with joyful singing, dancing, and story-telling. Old Celtic symbols are on display, time-honoured toasts are preserved, and deep-rooted Irish traditions are followed, regardless of the age being celebrated. One such tradition involves holding the birthday child by their hands and feet and bumping them gently on the floor. The amount of bumps the child receives corresponds to their age and as well as an additional bump for good luck.

While this exciting and jovial occasion is anticipated every year by children and teenagers all over Ireland, not all have this privilege to look forward to. For those living in poverty, birthdays can be ruined by the worry of money. Consider the case of Matthew, an 8 year old boy from Dublin who spoke up in a classroom discussion on poverty. “I was pretty sure I was going to get a bicycle for my birthday,” said Matthew, “just like the really cool one Peter has at school. It’s red and green and has these brilliant lights that look like they’re straight out of a spaceship. I think it’s the best bike I’ve ever seen”.

“But whenever I mention it to Dad” Matthew continued, “he starts talking about how much it costs and do I realize how many bills come in the door every day and Mam says I’m to talk about something else”. Matthew is left to accept the harsh reality that “Mam or Dad haven’t said anything but I’ve a feeling I won’t be getting that bike for my birthday”.

For young people like Matthew, poverty means not experiencing the everyday things that other kids his age have in their lives. It means being looked down upon and having to deal with the embarrassment of being asked by other kids what presents you got for your birthday. The joy and anticipation that has been associated with the traditional Irish birthday party are replaced with feelings of worry and shame. According to recent research, 13% of families in Ireland are unable to afford birthday parties for their children.

In order to cope with this and provide their children with some semblance of a special occasion, many parents in Ireland resort to using moneylenders to cover the costs of a birthday. The problem is that parents incur massive interest rates that only prove to make their dire situation even worse. Take the report of Joanne, a single mother of two children under 10, for example. Struggling to cope on minimal social welfare payments, she felt forced to avail of moneylenders in order to buy birthday presents for her children. She has no choice but to accept an interest rate so high that not only was she in debt of €6,000 ($7,406) already, but for each €500 ($619) borrowed, she is paying €300 ($372) in interest.

Currently in Ireland, St Vincent De Paul distributes food, toys, and money to poor families at Christmas. There is, however, no equivalent operation like Cheerful Givers to help parents living in poverty to give their child a gift for their birthday.

“The next time your family comes together for a day at the lake or a barbecue in the backyard, why not take an hour to discuss your estate and how your family can make an impact on the things that are most meaningful to all of you?”

To help you start the discussion, they provide some topics and questions to post to your “kitchen table philanthropists.”    Read full article.

The group also enjoyed wavers featuring right fielder Michael Cuddyer, which were provided by Animal Fair/Sports & Entertrainment.

We were excited to learn from Bob Salomon, promoter of the book “A Glove of  Their Own” that he has gained the support of this legend at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center.

A Glove of Their Own is a children’s book that is touching hearts across the nation. When ordering, choose Cheerful Givers on the drop-down menu, and $3.00 per book will be donated to Cheerful Givers.

The next great catcher Bob would like to add to his amazing list of supporters is Joe Mauer. Spread the word!

We need your help to spread the word across your social networks. We’ll have simple links already set up to promote it on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and your own website or blog.

More details coming soon. Follow us on Twitter or “Like Us” on Facebook for updates on this and other online campaigns.

Supporters and volunteers submitted reviews to earn this honor. Here are a few examples of what they said or you can read them all.

“I’ve seen the results of this organization in… Kids get to receive a gift on their birthday, which wouldn’t necessarily be a given without Cheerful Givers. Parents get to experience the joy of being able to provide a gift to their children. Volunteers of all ages get to learn that giving can be fun!”

“In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are… helping people understand that the emotions of a child are just as important as keeping them healthy and well fed.”

“If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could… give gifts to every kid in the US and make such a difference in their lives!”