Every month, they come together to celebrate a birthday, but this month, they decided to celebrate those who need it more.
Judy Grosz and 15 of her girlfriends from West St. Louis County decided to make the December girls night out a little different.
“Normally we do a holiday gift exchange among ourselves, but we decided to forgo those gifts and buy birthday gifts for Birthday Joy instead,” she said.
Birthday Joy is a local organization that collects and distributes birthday gifts for local kids in need. They serve the homeless population and other underprivileged children in St. Louis. Cindy Wallach founded the organization several years ago, after doing smaller, similar projects with her own family.
“Every child deserves to celebrate their birthday. And celebrating a birthday can bring a sense of normalcy to a child’s life in what would otherwise be turmoil,” she said. “It can really make a difference in a child’s life.”
Grosz and the other “Birthday Club” girls came to Birthday Joy’s office in University City Monday night for their party. They ordered pizza and ate cupcakes and cookies. All the women brought donated toys, and shopped the donation shelves for more. They helped wrap presents for dozens of children on Birthday Joy’s January birthday list.
“It just touched our hearts,” Grosz said. “We all have a special affinity for kids. We have our own kids, and we know how much they enjoyed their birthdays. And we think all kids should have a happy birthday.”
Birthday Joy delivers presents to dozens of children every month. In some cases, parents in qualifying families can shop at Birthday Joy stores, cost-free, for their children.
To learn more about the organization, or how you can get involved and help, visit Birthday Joy’s website.
