As the women and children living in Sandra's Lodge poked their heads into the shared living room, 2-year-old Autumn Moore had already covered her arms with peel-and-stick tattoos. She was completely immersed in the fun of her birthday party.
Although it was weeks after the official big day, Autumn finally got to experience the thrill of being the guest of honor for a party because of the partnership between a local nonprofit organization and a business.
Developed nearly five years ago, Birthday Wishes, Inc., has a simple mission: Provide every child living in a shelter a birthday party.
After contacting a local shelter in Newton, Birthday Wishes co-founder Lisa Vasilof said, "We realized how important it was and the appreciation we saw from the moms and the kids. It just kind of snowballed from there."
So, the co-founders got party-savvy. They began purchasing arts and crafts supplies in large quantities, said Vasilof. By seeking out donors and business gifts, Birthday Wishes could provide a cake and small gift for every child celebrating their birthday that month.
For the first two years of their operation, Birthday Wishes served 10 shelters with a volunteer staff, said Vasilof.
Now celebrating its 5-year anniversary, the organization has come a long way since they started receiving small grants, which have allowed them to hire paid employees and serve 52 shelters in eastern Massachusetts.
With that sort of growth, said Vasilof, comes a need for more volunteers and better organization.
Nearly two years ago, looking to help the organization address some of its volunteer and monetary needs while promoting employee morale, Winter, Wyman, Inc. stepped in and offered a three-month volunteer commitment for the parties at Sandra's Lodge.
"Three years later, they're still running the parties," said Vasilof.
As the manager of community development at the Waltham-based staffing firm, Ruth Wyser said, "We have a very active community develop program."
In an effort to promote teamwork, leadership and community outreach, Wyser organizes and distributes lists of volunteer opportunities for employees. By her estimates, nearly 70 percent of the 165-person company have volunteered at some point.
"It just feels so good and so rewarding that after doing one of these events people want to do it again.
"It keeps them grounded. They realize how fortunate they are," said Wyser.
With Birthday Wishes, however, Wyser said many of the volunteers return and there is often a long waiting list.
As a frequent face at Sandra's Lodge, Adriana Ganos, a senior consultant at Winter, Wyman, said, "I try to come as consistently as possible."
Because Birthday Wishes throws monthly parties for all children born during that period, the time commitment is minimal, said Ganos as she blew up balloons before the children arriving.
"It's a really good way to make an impact without a big commitment," said Ganos.
With three children of his own, Rob Byron, a consultant with Winter, Wyman, also finds the 3-hour commitment once a month manageable and worthwhile.
"It gives you an appreciation of how lucky we are," said Byron. "(My family) is lucky enough we have birthday parties for my kids."
Since coming to Sandra's Lodge multiple times, Senior Consultant Tracy Schlager said she has gotten to know many of the children and their mothers. She enjoys coming back to see familiar faces, "but it's really even better when they're not here anymore because they've moved on," said Schlager.
Despite Birthday Wishes' huge strides in the past five years and the help of Winter, Wyman, Vasilof is hoping to continue the progress.
There are still many shelters in eastern Massachusetts that Birthday Wishes does not currently serve. Also, said Vasilof, the program hopes to expand further west one day.
But the continual expansion will only come if volunteers and corporations continue to step forward, she said.
"We ultimately would like to have more situations like Winter, Wyman. (They) just do everything. The party just happens every single month. It is a lot easier if you have a corporate entity that has taken responsibility for it," said Vasilof.
Although the organization receives donations and volunteers from other local corporations, "none have actually adopted (a shelter) the way Winter, Wyman, has," said Vasilof.
Kerri Roche can be reached at kroche@cnc.com or 781-398-8009.
