A Birthday Wish Helps Foster Care Children
Submitted by Colby Sheppard
Westfield resident Jane Hoffman of A Birthday Wish was selected in early 2021 as an honoree of the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards.
The New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards are the state’s official recognition for community service and are in partnership with the Governor’s Council on volunteerism.
“At A Birthday Wish, we believe that all children in foster care deserve to know that their life matters and that they are truly special. We exist to give children in foster care a birthday gift and card selected specifically for them. 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, we are able to reach children on their birthday with a message of hope, in celebration of their life.”
In 2011, Jane and Christian Hoffman became adoptive parents and it forever opened their hearts to vulnerable children around the world. They were immediately struck by the human capacity to love, the transformative power of family, and each person’s ability to make a difference in the lives of others.
In 2014, Jane Hoffman founded A Birthday Wish in partnership with CASA of Union County, New Jersey. Born from a simple conversation with her three 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.
Currently, Jane brings her message of inclusion, empathy, and kindness to Middle School students in New Jersey through a network of A Birthday Wish school clubs, focusing on celebrating children in foster care on their birthday and raising awareness about the challenges that children in care face on a daily basis. Through these student-led clubs, participants learn leadership skills and the ability to create change in their local communities.
The 2020 ceremony was postponed until early 2021 and we are so happy to have Jane Hoffman and A Birthday Wish supporting so many in the foster care system and teaching local children the importance of helping others in our community and beyond!
For more information about A Birthday Wish, visit abirthdaywish.org.
