"Penny of Time" GUEST Post: Superhero Service Birthday Party!

Elise shared with us what she did for her son's 6 year birthday party.  And, we KNEW you would want to know.  Thank you, Elise and Everett, for sharing your party with us!

 

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Everett wanted to have a superhero party. He has been keen on the idea of a party because he knew people would bring him lots of presents. I had to sit down with Everett and explain that you don't have a party to get presents; you have a party so you can celebrate a special day with people you like. I suggested that instead of his friends bringing Everett a present, they could all bring an old toy to donate to the local domestic abuse shelter.

I was surprised at how quickly Everett became excited about this idea. He immediately lit up and began thinking of toys he could collect. I was feeling so fond of that little boy at that moment that I probably would have given him the moon if he had asked. I didn't want to push the idea on him because the donation wouldn't have meant anything to him if he wasn't willing to go through with it.

Everett was all for it, so he and I came up with an invitation. We printed it on gold cardstock and put a "Top Secret" notation on the outside. Everett also wanted me to make masks for everyone, so I whipped some up and we delivered them with the invites the next day.

 

 

We invited the guests to wear superhero costumes. I was happy to see that they all did.

 



 

They were all pumped to be able to be superheroes for the evening.

I had been hoping we could take the toys and donate them somewhere in person, because it would mean more to the boys that way, but the domestic abuse shelter's location is understandably kept secret and the main office wasn't open during the party hours. Fortunately the kind soul I spoke with on the phone volunteered to come over to my house during the party, talk to the boys about the shelter, and collect the toys herself.

It worked out great! The boys got to meet her and tell her all about the toys they chose and the memories they had. She explained that the children who come to the shelter have to leave their homes very suddenly and are not able to bring much with them. They all miss having toys. She also explained that there were currently a lot of little boys at the shelter and that they would really appreciate being able to have a toy to play with.

We had a nice little pile of toys. The day before the party, Everett couldn't stop collecting things to give, and I didn't want to squelch his little fire, so I let him choose what he wanted. I was amazed at his attitude. He wanted to give the best of everything he had. I even let him choose some of his old legos to give away, since good friends of ours gifted him with a new (to him) box full. Everett chose the coolest pieces and the best building components. "Some little boy will really like to play with this one," and "I've GOT to put this one in. It's awesome!" Everett repeated to himself.

 

I knew I would need to get these four out of the house and doing something active. Where to go on a cold, dark, November night? That's right. McDonald's!  First, we drove to the homeless shelter, and parked outside of it, and I explained to Everett and his friends what it was all about. It was the only time during the party that this very active group of boys was still and solemn and quiet. I hope they remember that they are incredibly blessed to have what they have.

 

Then, off to play.  Apparently the whole city had the same idea because it was packed. But we got our food (happy meals) and our drinks (sprite and orange soda), and the boys got plenty of energy out in the Playplace. Are 6-year-olds too old to enjoy the playplace? I wondered. No. No they are not, especially when dressed as superheroes. The cherry on top of the whole deal was that the happy meal toy was a little skateboard. (Tragically, one of the boys left his at McDonald's.)

 

Everett saw a picture of a batman-shaped cake online. It had five layers, each a different color of the rainbow. I had three cake pans and one cake mix (I prefer cakes from scratch, but I was not going to all that effort for boys who would eat a french fry off the floor), so I told Everett to choose three colors. He picked green, orange, and blue, and I threw the cake together. It doesn't look the best, but at least Everett liked it.

 

 

After cake, we made light sabers out of pool noodles and tape. It was a big hit!

 

I loved the "true hero" component of the party. Serving on your birthday is like giving the world a great big hug for taking such good care of you. We will have to make it a tradition!