Every child deserves to feel special on their birthday — and here at Nellie’s, we work hard to make sure that the children living at our shelter have a memorable celebration despite their current living situation. “Just because they’re in a shelter, it doesn’t mean that they should miss out on their special day,” explains Akhila Sureshbabu, one of our Child & Youth Program Coordinators. “It won’t be the same, but it doesn’t take away the fact that birthdays are really special, especially for kids.”
The first step in planning a birthday celebration at Nellie’s is for Akhila or her Child & Youth Program colleague Adheena to reach out to the child’s mother to see whether or not they actually want to celebrate at the shelter. Akhila explains that some moms would rather not have a party here, but most of the time they do agree to throwing a party with the families staying there. If there are no other planned programs on the child’s actual birth date, they’ll try to host the party on the same day, otherwise they’ll find a nearby time (and occasionally, if two kids have birthdays close together, the staff will host joint parties).
Once the party date is set, Akhila and Adheena will confirm with the mom what colours or theme the birthday child would like for their party, and then the real fun begins. “The moms and other kids will work together with us to decorate the space for the party,” shares Akhila. “We’re throwing the party all together to really make that sense of community. The kids get so excited about that part. We’ll also write a card which everyone will write messages on, and on behalf of Nellie’s, we will give a birthday gift to the child.” Akhila also shares that the other moms will often pool their money together to buy an additional gift for the birthday child.
The parties usually include games, karaoke, and dancing, both for the kids and the moms. Nellie’s also provides cupcakes, ice cream, chips, juice, and other party snacks. The parties are hosted in the living room so that there’s lots of space for everyone to join in on the fun — not just the other kids and moms at the shelter, but also the single women, and the front office staff as well.
For Akhila, orchestrating these celebrations is one of the most fulfilling parts of her job. “It’s seeing the happiness in the kids’ faces, and how the moms always come to us after the party and say how thankful they are,” Akhila explains. “Even if it’s part of my job, that motivation keeps me going to do the next one, and to make it even better. I’m just so happy that we could make this happen for these families.”
And of course, some of the memories of these parties will stick with her for a very long time — like the story of a young girl who came to Nellie’s shortly after arriving in Canada with her mom, who was fleeing an abusive relationship. They didn’t know anyone, and the young girl was about to be turning five. The mom came to Akhila, asking if they could have a cake to honour her daughter, not realizing that Nellie’s had a tradition of birthday celebrations for the kids staying there. The little girl was thoroughly surprised by the birthday party, and the next day she came running to Akhila with a giant hug, and said to her: “Thank you so much. It’s my first time having so many people at my birthday. I felt like a princess yesterday.”