Welcome to DonateYourBirthday.org!
"Hi, I'm Cole! When I was five, one of my best friend's younger sister had cancer. I asked my mom if I could give her all my birthday presents. She said I could help her by donating money to her family. So, at my birthday that year, I raised $121.00 by asking for money, not presents, for my birthday. Ever since I was five, I've donated my birthday to different organizations."
Who are we? Donate Your Birthday is a small, nonprofit organization that started with one boy's idea to make his world a better place. The founder, Cole Hodges, and his cofounder, Joan Crown-Hodges, Cole's Mom, want to use this web site to get other kids involved in their communities.
What is Cole doing now? This year, for the second year in a row, I am donating my birthday to The Daily Planet, a place where homeless people come if they need help. The Daily Planet is here in my hometown of Richmond, VA, but no matter where you live, you can donate your birthday, too. You can choose national organizations, church groups, local shelters or nursing facilities, or any other group that relies on donations. Try to think about things that are important to you. In 2005, I donated my birthday to the International Red Cross for Tsunami Relief. I raised $326.00, and that's just me. Think of what you could do. If just 10 kids did it, that would be $3,260.00 for charity. If just one kid from each state did it, we'd raise $16,952.00. That's a lot of money just to give up the presents you get for your birthday. The present you get is helping people have a better life. Long after the other gifts would be gone, you'll still have the gift you received by helping other people.
And there are other things kids can do, too. Like right now, and for the rest of my life, I'm going to grow my hair 10 inches and donate it to Locks for Love. Many people think I'm a girl and I may look weird, but I don't care if it will help other people have a better life. Think of what you could do. Kids have more power and can do more things than you think. You just have to be willing.
Thanks for stopping by, and remember our motto: So easy, even a child can do it!
Thanks to http://www.addme.com/button.js
for helping us spread the word that we're on the web! Also,
thanks to all the groups who have added us as a link to their web
pages! You rock!