Bringing Birthday Joy to Toronto Kids

Birthday parties serve as essential childhood memories. I can remember some of my earliest birthdays being joy-filled events, whether at home or at a favorite party venue, surrounded by my friends and family celebrating in my honor. However, some children never get to experience this childhood rite of passage, because of financial disadvantage. For children living in shelters in Toronto and the York Region, Debra Kavchak-Taylor emerged as an angel in disguise.

Inspired by a magazine article, Debra Kavchak-Taylor founded Birthday Angels, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide the joy of birthday parties to children living in shelters. Founded in 2014 in Toronto, the organization set out to bring birthday celebrations to families in need by providing one birthday party every month to partner shelters, inviting all shelter residents to celebrate the guests of honor.

Birthday Angels provides the decorations, crafts and activities, party favors, birthday cake, and cheerfully wrapped gifts to children celebrating their birthday that month. Whether the party theme centers around Frozen, Minions, Barbie, Elmo, Lego, or a Beach Party, making each child feel special reigns as the supreme theme. Birthday Angels succeeded in its efforts, as birthday party day has become the favorite day of the month at the shelters. “They count down the months, weeks and days until their own party. It means that much to them,” Kavchak-Taylor said.

While Kavchak-Taylor oversees everything in Toronto, her business partner, Debbie Panza, creates birthday magic in York region. A childhood friend, Panza reached out to Kavchak-Taylor through Facebook and the two reconnected to team up for Birthday Angels. Kavchak-Taylor and Panza also have the help of many volunteers who generously donate their time to buy gifts and supplies, bake cupcakes, wrap gifts and make this cause a reality. “We have met so many kindred spirits through Birthday Angels, people who really share a passion for making a difference in children’s lives,” Kavchak-Taylor said.

On its website, Birthday Angels expresses a desire to expand in the future to reach as many shelters as funding will allow. However, according to Kavchak-Taylor, the organization will stay based in Canada for now, in order to reach more shelters in Ontario.

Many of us take birthday celebrations in our honor for granted. But let’s not take for granted the amazing work Birthday Angels does, and strive to help this organization that brings so much joy to children each month. To find out how, visit www.birthdayangels.org/donate or like their Facebook Page to stay up to date on ways to get involved.

Featured image credit: chas53/Thinkstock. Other images courtesy of Debra Kavchak-Taylor.

Brendan Kolon