Brennan’s Fundraising Party (Celebrate for Change)
-By Brennan Wong-
Crosby Heights Public School, Richmond Hill, Ontario
My 10th birthday was my most important birthday so far. I raised $1100 for Free the Children in honour of all the invisible children around the world. I wish to thank all my friends and my parents for their support.
Celebrate for Change is a challenge and a fantastic learning opportunity. From the first day that I received my birthday kit from Free the Children, I could not contain my excitement. I was thrilled with all the amazing stationery – a poster with stickers, boarding pass invitations and a thank you note to appreciate my guests. I was extremely impressed with the person who designed this kit. On each piece of stationery, we could see the five countries that Free the Children currently has projects in. These items are very cleverly designed and children find them appealing. I couldn’t wait to plan my birthday and share these with my friends.
I had two separate parties on Sep 30th and Oct 7th 2007, one for kids and the other one for friends of the family. I think the invisible children should be recognized by people of all ages. In each party, I did five awareness activities. First, I made a speech about what Celebrate for Change was all about. Second, prizes were given to guests who could say “Happy Birthday” in different languages so we could be more aware of countries in the world. Third, we did a trivia about Free the Children so that people could get a better understanding about this organization. Fourth, a top prize was given to the guest who could solve my charade of “We can all make a difference.” Last, a scavenger hunt for toys and snacks was held to make people appreciate their good fortune in Canada.
At the end of the parties, I looked forward to hear positive feedback from my guests. They all liked the idea and they wanted to hold fundraising parties too. These parties made me look past my own needs and helped me understand how young people could change the world for the better. Would you like to mark your next birthday with your very own Celebrate for Change campaign?
