HELLO, ATLANTA! Or: Welcome, Friends of Reva!

As you all know, the running theme of our blog posts is being overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our friends and family. Today's entry is no exception as we welcome some new Birthday Box Buddies all the way from Atlanta. Longtime FOOF (Friend of Orlansky Family) Hannah Hart Martin and her husband, Will (also a FOOF, if less long-time), contacted us about using their sweet Reva Pearl's birthday celebration as a Birthday Box fundraiser. We, of course, were floored (again) and thrilled (again) to take this fiesta over state lines. 

So, welcome Reva Revelers! Here's how this works: you give us birthday party supplies, and we provide prepackaged birthday parties for children in need. It's that simple! You can either bring Birthday Box supplies to Reva's celebration, or you can visit our Amazon Wish List and have those items shipped directly to our house. Last year we were able to give nearly 100 birthday parties to Jackson youth, and we're hopeful that we'll be able to crush that number this year. 

Here's what we're asking for:

• birthday cake mix
• frosting
• candles
• party hats
• confetti
• small party favors
• birthday cards
• reasonable (as if there is such a thing) noisemakers
• paper decorations

We politely request that you refrain from donating silly string, poppers, and perishables.

If you have any questions, you can email us at birthdayboxjxn@gmail.com or leave your query in the comments section.

A big thank you to the Martins for their partnership, and an even bigger thank you to those of you who will help expand the project through your donation. 

Happy Birthday Reva Pearl! We love you, kid. 

It's That Time Again!

Friends! The bad news is that we've done a really terrible job of keeping y'all updated on our progress. The good news is that we, thanks to your unending support and generous donations, have done a much better job providing Jackson children with nearly ONE HUNDRED birthday boxes. Between donations given around Sam's birthday last year, great work by the teens of Beth Israel Temple Youth (BITY), and some help from our friends at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, we were able to create 85 boxed birthday parties.

As you know, this was never intended to be a one and done project; and we are excited to share that it's fundraising time again! You can continue to donate directly to the project via our Amazon Wish List, and if you're local you can drop your donation by the house. Just give either of us a call (actually text because Hannah is terrified of telephones) and let us know when you'd like to come by.

Just in case you need a reminder, here's what we're looking for: 

• birthday cake mix
• frosting
• candles
• party hats
• confetti
• small party favors
• birthday cards
• reasonable (as if there is such a thing) noisemakers
• paper decorations

We politely request that you refrain from donating silly string, poppers, and perishables.

Sam's birthday party will continue to be an opportunity for his friends and family to donate Birthday Box supplies, and this year we're pretty jazzed that he might actually grasp the concept of what's happening. There's been a lot of birthday party talk around our house (remember: Hannah is obsessed with birthdays and starts talking about them months in advance) and we're looking forward to having Sam participate in a new way this year. Speaking of participating in new ways, we're so grateful to Sam's buddy, Harry Hayslett, who has asked that his birthday party guests also bring Birthday Box donations in lieu of a gift! To say that we continue to be overwhelmed by the support of our friends and family is both redundant (see: every other blog post) and an accurate understatement. One example of this incredibly supportive network of ours: before we even began publicizing this year's fundraising, a birthday banner appeared in our mailbox. I told y'all - it's overwhelming.

Sam's ready. Are you ready? 

Let's get this party started.