Our Purpose
Light the Way Birthdays is a non-profit 501 © (3) with the goal of celebrating houseless children on their birthdays. We know that childhood can be challenging sometimes; being houseless makes it even more difficult. Our purpose is to shine a light during dark times and bring our community together in celebration of children, letting them know they are not alone and that they matter.
- In 2018 there were 1,649 homeless students enrolled in K-12 in Marion County, OR (McKinney-Vento).
- Homelessness is linked to having a high ACE score (working, n.d.).
- Many families who are facing homelessness do not have the means to give their child a birthday party.
- Children facing homelessness perform at a lower level compared to housed children (McKinney-Vento).
We will connect with local shelters in Marion County to fill the need of homeless children in that area. We plan on catering birthday parties to individual children facing homelessness. Our goal is to build stronger communities by networking and rallying others to join us in making life-long connections. In doing so, we will strengthen children and help build resiliency. And thus, create a healthier community.
How You Can Help
In this day and age, there are so many ways you can participate in charitable organizations and help those in your community. The most direct way to make birthdays happen for houseless children is making a tax-deductible donation
Other Ways to Help
We don’t always have the funds to donate to all the wonderful non-profits we love. Luckily, there are so many things you can do with just a click of a button to help houseless children in need.
Click here to support us through Amazon Smile. The great thing about Amazon Smile is that you don’t have to do anything differently from your normal Amazon shopping routine. Just make sure to type in smile.amazon.com instead of just “amazon.com.” Amazon will connect you to Light the Way Birthdays and will donate a portion of what you spend on Amazon to us. It doesn’t cost you a penny or a single extra moment of your time! For an even more convenient experience, find out how to set up Amazon Smile on your smart phone.
Follow us on Facebook for the latest updates on projects, events, and other opportunities to help!
Want to learn more about where your donations go? Check out our Donate page for more information.
Meet the Team
Sandra Stewart
President
Sandra has experience working with families and young children who are low-income at a teen-parent day care facility. She has experience in coordinating volunteer groups through animal rights advocacy. She has worked with organizations such as PETA, Anonymous for the Voiceless, and MoveOn and is treasurer for the nonprofit Cherry City Vegfest, an organization to help educate the public about plant-based diets. She has successfully planned and organized several events from small demos to rallies and larger events such as the Families Belong Together rally which held a crowd of over 1,000 people.
Emily Powers
Secretary
Emily Powers has an associate degree from Chemeketa Community College and currently works for a large hospital as a certified medical assistant. Her volunteer work includes collecting clothing for women’s shelters and volunteering at soup kitchens.
Mariah Jones
Treasurer
Mariah is a certified medical assistant. She has worked tirelessly for suicide prevention for years and is part of another non-profit 501-c (3) called Lebanon Area Mental Health Alliance Corp that focuses on suicide awareness and prevention. She attends meetings, helps with advertising, coordinates events and more. Her team is currently working on expanding their efforts to include grief counseling/outreach, a relief fund for people and families who lose loved ones to suicide, and scholarships to be awarded to students going into the mental health/first responder fields. She also has a passion for children and truly believes with all her heart that they all deserve to feel happy, loved, and celebrated on their special day!
Still Have Questions?
Send us an email, online inquiry form, or a Facebook message!
Light the Way Birthdays©️ is a registered 501 © (3) non-profit with the state of Oregon.
EIN: 84-4055931