Home … where laughter is shared, memories begin, and heartstrings are forever joined together. Build your own rich traditions in a close-knit, small-town setting, where local merchants greet you as neighbors. Live the Life you have imagined in a charming community, celebrating the warmth of yesterday alongside the conveniences of today. Avalon Park Wesley Chapel is your premier Wesley Chapel community to live, learn, work & play.
We talk with Stephanie Lerret, SVP Marketing and Belinda Leto, Co-Founder, Celebrate Birthdays to learn about the Celebrate Birthdays Mission.
In December of 2017, three friends set out to volunteer in their community through their local church. The project they were a part of was called the "Angel Tree" project. Belinda, Julia and Celina as well as Celina's daughter Breana were so excited to visit homes and deliver Christmas presents to children in need on behalf of an incarcerated individual. Their very last stop this day was to a 73-year-old grandmother who was in charge of her 3 grandchildren, all under the age of 8. Her daughter had been incarcerated for almost a year and she was doing everything in her power to take care of her grandchildren to the best of her ability. After gifts had been delivered and the trio was ready to leave, the grandmother asked if they knew anyone who could help her celebrate her grandson's birthday in January as they did not even have the means for a cake for him. They looked at each other and knew of no resources in our community to assist with this need. They called a few other places over the next few weeks including a foster home to see if there was a need in our community of children not receiving a birthday, a cake, or a present and what they found out was that the answer was a resounding "Yes!" There were many children in need of being celebrated! Fast forward a few years and Celebrate Birthdays was born. Incorporated in 2019 as a charity non-profit, Celebrate Birthdays has helped to celebrate the special day of almost 2,000 children who otherwise, may not have heard the words "Happy Birthday!"
Our mission is to ensure that every foster child and all children, regardless of personal or financial circumstances, have the opportunity to celebrate their birthday and receive a present-We believe that every child deserves to have a special day to call their own.
Avalon Park Wesley Chapel website: AvalonParkWesleyChapel.com
Learn more at celebratebirthdays.org.
