Gift of Generosity

For young children, a birthday celebration brings the anticipation of getting older (becoming a "big kid"), playing with friends and getting a host of new toys and clothes.

However, for one local family, their son's 6th birthday party was a chance to do some good for a group in need.

By requesting party guests donate to the SPCA in lieu of buying birthday gifts, Traci (last name withheld at family's request) and 6-year-old Tyler, raised nearly $200 for the Montgomery County SPCA.

The Perkiomen Township family are longtime dog owners, and their current furry friend is a boxer named Buchess.

"We’ve had five dogs during our 17 years of marriage. The last three were all rescues. We made the decision after the first rescue that each time we added a dog to our family it would be through a rescue organization or a similar method," Traci wrote in an e-mail interview.

This is the first time the family asked for charity donations for an occasion. The guests' first reaction was, "He's (Tyler) so cool!"
They were happy to donate, and some people couldn't resist still buying a present for Tyler.

The family already takes part in walks for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; also, "at least once a year we select toys from his collection to donate to 'friends he hasn’t met yet,'" Traci wrote. "He likes doing this. If we ask him if he understands why we do this, his response is because there are kids that don’t have toys and need something to play with."

Traci said she wants Tyler to learn "money doesn't grow on trees," and sharing is important.
"Yes, it is," Tyler chimed in.
He said sharing with people or groups that help people and animals because "they don't have a lot of stuff."

The idea came "one night last year we were watching TV and saw one of the heartwrenching ASPCA commercials," Traci continued. "We decided we would offer a monthly donation to the ASPCA. Our son was there when we made the decision. He’s aware that we help dogs who need food and shelter. He’s happy to help but, like any child, would NEVER turn down a toy gift."

"We do plan to do this again next year," Traci said. "We will probably stick with the SPCA and ASPCA. We’ve chosen those two organizations just because we are dog lovers, specifically boxers. But, like children, they are the helpless and vulnerable. They give unconditional love but don’t always receive it in return."