At Birthday Wishes, we believe every child deserves to feel celebrated on their special day, especially those facing the challenges of homelessness. Through our trauma-informed celebrations, we restore a sense of normalcy, dignity, and joy, letting each child know they are valued and seen. Volunteers are at the heart of this mission, bringing creativity, compassion, and dedication to every party and gift.

Each Birthday-in-a-Box we provide contains everything a caregiver needs to host a joyful, personalized celebration: three beautifully wrapped gifts chosen with the child’s interests in mind, complete party supplies including tableware and decorations, cake mix, frosting, and candles, and goody bags for guests, including siblings who may be attending. These boxes are more than supplies; they are tools for connection, resilience, and healing.

Marianne embodies that spirit. She first learned about Birthday Wishes in 2010, when she read about our work in a local newspaper. The idea stayed with her, and she began donating birthdays in honor of friends and family.

When she saw a call for volunteers at our then office in Northborough, she jumped in. For years, she came in several days a week, wrapping gifts and assembling Birthday-in-a-Box packages designed to bring celebration into shelters.

When our regional offices were consolidated, Marianne couldn’t make the commute to our central location — but she wasn’t ready to stop. She had been delivering to families in scattered-site shelters known as “Devens West” and felt a strong connection to them. She proposed continuing as a donor-direct volunteer, personally purchasing and assembling each birthday package at home. Soon after, she also took on the children at the nearby Transitions at Devens shelter, ensuring that no child there would miss out on a celebration.

Today, Marianne plans about three birthdays a month, sometimes more, crafting each one with meticulous attention to detail. She builds entire celebrations around a child’s interests, from Spiderman-themed parties complete with coordinated decorations, toys, and cake frosting to entirely original creations like a gnome-themed party inspired by a single plush toy. She tracks every birthday she’s done so siblings receive unique experiences year after year, and she makes sure each package looks as joyful as it feels, topping every gift bag with a stuffed animal wearing a personalized party hat.

Marianne’s work is more than gift-giving — it’s a living example of our mission in action. Each box she delivers tells a child, “You are important. You are celebrated. You are loved.” We are deeply grateful for her dedication and the countless hours she spends making birthdays unforgettable.