Submitted by Alexandra Paulyson
Girl Scout Cadette Troop 40444 of Cranford has partnered with A Birthday Wish, a local non-profit organization that offers an opportunity to acknowledge the birthdays of foster children in New Jersey. The Cadettes collected wrapping supplies, 29 birthday gifts, and hosted a “wrap” party in late February 2018.
The troop chose to partner with the organization as their community service project. The gifts were given to children with March birthdays within Union County who are in the foster care system. A Birthday Wish lets children in foster care know they are special and not forgotten. Each child requests a gift for their birthday, allowing others to give a birthday gift and card selected specifically for them.
“Our troop was very excited to work with A Birthday Wish!” said Stephanie Patterson, Troop 40444 leader. “It’s an organization that our girls can easily relate to and they are proud to help make a difference in their peer’s lives.”
In 2014, Jane Hoffman, an adoptive parent in Westfield, founded A Birthday Wish in partnership with CASA of Union County, New Jersey. Born from a simple conversation with her three young daughters about how to help children in foster care, A Birthday Wish has become an opportunity to acknowledge the birthdays of foster children in New Jersey and to celebrate each child’s inherent worth.
“At A Birthday Wish, we believe that every child in foster care deserves to know that their life matters and that they are truly special,” says Ms. Hoffman. “In the process, we work to raise awareness about the issues surrounding foster care and advocate for better ways to serve these wonderful children. Through the money we raise, and wishes we grant we are able to reach children on their birthday with a message of hope, in celebration of their life.”
There are currently 600 Union County children in foster care, from birth to age 21, removed from their home due to abuse, neglect or abandonment, and placed in foster homes or residential facilities. To preserve the best interests and address the needs of these youth, CASA of Union County recruits, trains, supervises and supports community volunteers to train as child advocates who are sworn in by a family judge and matched to a waiting foster children or sibling set. As advocates, it is their responsibility to spend time with the child at least monthly, often bi-weekly. They speak with teachers, counselors, doctors, caseworkers, coaches. This work enables the CASA volunteer to get a robust picture of the child’s status on all fronts and present that in court when the child’s case is before the judge. With a CASA volunteer’s focus solely on one child or sibling set, they can focus on the many details and prevent needs and concerns from slipping through the cracks.
The gifts collected and wrapped by Troop 40444 will be going directly to CASA of Union County, as well as several other CASA programs within the state.
The Girl Scouts of Cranford boasts over 1139 Girl Scout Members in 67 troops and Juliette’s making it one of the largest non-profit organizations in town. The Cranford Service Unit is a part of the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) Council which is part of the Girl Scouts of the USA. If your family is interested in learning more about local Girl Scouts or to find out more information on the Girls Scouts of Cranford, please visit cranfordgirlscouts.com.
(above) Girl Scout Cadette Troop 40444 of Cranford partners with A Birthday Wish. The Cadettes collected gifts and hosted a “wrap” party.
