When I had birthday parties as a kid, there was no doubt about it: the presents were my favorite part. It was exciting to see who came, but my ultimate reason for having a party was so I could get presents. I admit it; I was greedy and selfish and all those things that kids are known to be.
So the other day when I read an article about a group of middle school students who turned their 13th birthday party into a fundraiser, I felt more than a little guilty. Three friends were all turning 13 within a month of each other, so instead of throwing separate parties they decided to have one big bash. When they considered the number of friends who would be expected to bring presents for each of them, they decided that they would turn their party into a fundraiser. Instead of bringing presents, they asked their friends to donate money to the Foster Care Wish List program, a local program that provides foster kids with presents at Christmas. They raised more than $1,500 at their party, enough to buy gifts for almost all of the teens in the program.
Today, I can hardly remember any of the gifts I got as a kid. Chances are I don't even have 90 percent of them anymore- they've made their way to the trash can or the Salvation Army. But these three girls will always have the gift they gave on their 13th birthday-- the gift of helping others.
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