Victoria, Michael Garron Hospital Foundation, and “the moustache”…

Posted: December 18, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, Charity birthday party, ECHOage Birthday Parties, ECHOage Heroes and Amazing Birthday Ideas, Gifts, kids birthday party ideas, Michael Garron Hospital Foundation, Stories about children | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s true there are many stories on ECHOage that make us cry, laugh, sigh. This one is unique, and worth retelling, it made us all stop and say: “Wow”. In the words of Victoria’s mom Amy, here is the story:

We live in a great house in East York, just a few blocks from Michael Garron Hospital where Victoria was born. The hospital is also where Victoria was cared for after a recent fall at school. Victoria fell and hit her head. Paramedics were called and she and I rode in the ambulance together. Victoria was captivated by the paramedics, who made her feel safe when she was scared and hurt. One of them had a crazy moustache, which Victoria thought was just about the coolest thing ever. When it was time to plan her birthday, we talked about ECHOage. Victoria said she wanted to “help kids and babies where I was born, and where “the moustache” helped me when I fell”. One of Victoria’s classmates’ dad is a police officer. When he heard about Victoria’s generosity, he felt compelled to track down “the moustache”. He found him! And he was able to come to Victoria’s birthday party to say “thank you” in person for Victoria’s donation to the hospital. They even let Victoria and her friends explore the ambulance!

Victoria has spastic dilpegia, a type of cerebral palsy (CP). CP affects everyone differently. For Victoria, she has very tight muscles in her legs, which make it difficult to walk. She wears leg braces and uses a walker to get around. Recently, we have been borrowing a used ice sledge so that she can go on school skating trips at our local arena. For her birthday, she received her very own, made-just-for-her ice sledge.

Happy Birthday To Victoria from the whole team at ECHOage! You made us cry, laugh, sigh. We’ll all be thinking of you throughout the holiday season, of you, your amazing generosity, of “the moustache” and the ice sledge. Thank you Victoria and Amy. XOXO ECHOage

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One family, 6 ECHOage parties, and close to $700 raised for charity.

Posted: April 7, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

That’s what this incredible family has accomplished using ECHOage! Wendy Labelle and her children, Ella and Griffin, have become our Quebec ECHOage heroes; they are committed to making the world a better place, one celebration at a time.  Read the testimonials from this generous, inspiring family!

“We LOVE ECHOage! We were first introduced to the idea by neighbors who were hosting an ECHOage birthday party. My daughter, Ella, thought it was a very interesting concept and decided on her own that she wanted to do the same!  It didn’t take too much convincing to get my son, Griffin, on board as well.” 

“They have always been big-hearted and charitable – donating clothes, toys and food quite willingly. As a matter of fact, they look forward to their ECHOage parties every year and tell me way in advance which charities they want to help.  My daughter and son both like to donate to The Montreal Children’s Hospital, not only because I worked there for several years, but also because Ella had surgery there.”  
          
“We have had nothing but positive feedback from our invitees, and the online invitations and thank you notes are convenient and easy to use. My kids like the concept because, not only do they get to help a charity, but the money they receive gives them the freedom to choose their own gifts, or save it for a rainy day.  They proudly tell friends and family that they have raised money for their charity of choice.  We will definitely continue using ECHOage for many celebrations to come…” 

 

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A huge thank you to the Labelle family for the positive ways they’ve influenced their friends and their community! Wishing you many more happy celebrations from everyone at ECHOage.com!                         

For her 10th birthday, Amanda got craft supplies and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada got $72.50!

Posted: April 8, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, Charity birthday party, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts, kids birthday party ideas, Stories about children | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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When we think of the reasons why we are most proud of ECHOage, children like Amanda come to mind.  This girl made turning 10 extra special, and she did it so easily with ECHOage.  At 10 years old, Amanda loves to sew and make jewellery.  It is her hobby and she really enjoys making things for other people.  She chose sewing and jewellery supplies for her birthday because she will need more supplies in order to make more fabulous designs.  But that is not all…Amanda chose to support the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada because her grandmother has had Crohn’s since she was a little girl.  In Amanda’s words: “I want to make sure that anyone else who has Crohn’s gets good treatment like my grandmother has.” Happy Birthday special girl! You have made our day, and you will certainly inspire many other children to follow in your footsteps. Thank you, Amanda!

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For Jamie’s 8th birthday he got Wii games and a baseball mitt and Rethink Breast Cancer got $65.00!

Posted: March 11, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, Charity birthday party, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts, kids birthday party ideas, Stories about children | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jamie supported Rethink Breast Cancer
Jamie is our hero!

Here is an eight-year-old boy who thinks about his grandmothers, and how he can help them.  He chose to support Rethink Breast Cancer at his recent ECHOage birthday party because he wants his grandmothers to be healthy and enjoy their lives. One of Jamie’s grandmother’s died of breast cancer before he was born. Jamie chose to honor her memory at his party.

He also got to choose his birthday gifts – he got Wii games and a new baseball mitt.  Jamie said he liked this more than getting lots of different birthday presents because he could choose his own games and the style of baseball mitt.  When asked about the best part of his birthday, Jamie said: “The best part of my birthday was playing with my friends and having fun together!”  Happy Birthday, Jamie! Our hats are off to you.Screen Shot 2013-03-11 at 4.50.45 PM

Zach is a champion! For his 7th birthday he got Skylander Giants and Jacob’s Ladder got $500.00!

Posted: February 26, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, Charity birthday party, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts, kids birthday party ideas, Stories about children | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ZACHScreen Shot 2013-02-21 at 11.02Zach is a champion in our eyes. He raised $1000 at his birthday party for his birthday gifts and supported the charity of his choice.  His gift was Skylanders Giants and Zach says he loves playing with them: “They just came out with some amazing new characters.” His charity was Jacob’s Ladder – an organization founded on the love parents feel for their children.  We asked Zach how he felt about his amazing contribution: “I love to help other kids and like to give to children that need things.  I go to the same camp as Jacob, from Jacob’s Ladder, and I wanted to help his charity.” Even more special, Zach said that the best part of his birthday party was being with his friends. Way to go Zach! You are compassionate boy at age 7 – Happy Birthday Champ!

JACOB from Jacob’s Ladder with his family

Jacob and his loving family.

For Kyle’s 9th Birthday he got Halo Mega Blocks and a Kindle Fire. The Association to Benefit Children got $102.50.

Posted: February 3, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, Charity birthday party, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts, kids birthday party ideas, Stories about children | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kyle's 9th Birthday

Kyle feels good when he helps other children.  That is why he chose to support The Association to Benefit Children for his 9th birthday party which he celebrated at the beach with friends and family.  “When mom read me the different charities on the ECHOage site, The Association to Benefit Children sounded really good because it helps abused and neglected children.  It is sad to think about kids being hurt and I want to make sure that doesn’t happen anymore.” While helping children, Kyle also got the birthday gifts he has been dreaming of: A Kindle Fire and Halo Mega Blocks. “Halo is one of my favorite toys!  I wanted a tablet because it’s cooler than a phone, and there are apps and fun things I can play on it.” Kyle told us that it makes him feel very good inside to know he helped other children. Kyle, it makes everyone at ECHOage feel good inside to know you’re leading the way for a new generation of kids who will celebrate their birthdays while thinking of others. Happy Birthday, special boy! You turned 9 and made a real difference in your world.
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For their birthday, brothers Justin and Nathan got fantastic gifts, and The Association to Benefit Children got $255.

Posted: January 18, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
Brother get new toys and raised 255 for The Association to Benefit Children

Brothers celebrating together.

These brothers from Virginia are back! How exciting to see them turn 8 this year and ECHOage their birthday party once again! This time they chose The Association to Benefit Children because, in their words, “we really wanted to help other kids!”  They bought action figures, Exploderz, and Robert Griffin III Jerseys with their birthday money.  Lisa, their Mom, says: “We are proud of them, and we love that they are learning to give to others.” Happy Birthday Justin and Nathan!  Those jerseys will look so good on you!

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Noah is smiling – he turned 7 at his birthday, got a Kindle, and Smile Train got $250!

Posted: January 7, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts, Stories about children | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Noah turned 7!

Noah lives in Boise, Idaho.  This year he wanted his birthday party to be much more than a fabulous celebration. Noah chose to give half of the funds raised at his party to Smile Train, a charity that provides free cleft surgery to hundreds of thousands of children in developing countries.  Some kids cannot eat, or speak properly.  Some kids face very difficult lives filled with shame, isolation, pain and heartache.  The good news is every single child with a cleft can be helped with surgery that costs as little as $250. Seven year old Noah has now changed the life of a little child needing cleft surgery.

Not a surprise, Noah’s parents are extremely proud of him.  He bought a Kindle for his birthday present, so he can read even more, and he made it possible for a child to smile again. Noah, there are many others who are very proud of you today.  Everyone at ECHOage is smiling for you, too.

Smile Train

For his 1st birthday, Dominic put money toward his Registered Education Savings Plan (yup, you read that correctly) and Plan Canada got $55.

Posted: December 6, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts, Stories about children, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This young boy is going places!

Dominic turns ONE!

Dominic turns ONE!

Looks like the world can learn a thing or two from Dominic.

Saving for an education and helping other kids in need, all before he can say the words Happy Birthday.

Dominic’s Mom shares why she chose to ECHOage Dominic’s first birthday.

“We decided to use ECHOage so we could make this big event more meaningful. Instead of Dominic getting more toys he doesn’t need, we could put the funds toward starting his RESP.”

“We chose Plan Canada because we sponsor two children already with them and know that a small Screen Shot 2012-12-06 at 8.50.51 AMamount can make a big difference to children they support in less fortunate areas of the world”.

We can only imagine what you will do for your 2nd birthday, Dominic.

Happy, happy birthday sweet, little boy!

For their 7th birthday, Dylan and Jacob got a Nintendo DS, Mariokart and Super Mario. Autism Speaks got $797.50!

Posted: November 30, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Birthday Gifts, Charity, ECHOage Birthday Parties, Gifts, Stories about children | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Twins Jacob and Dylan decided to turn 7 in a very special way.  Talk about making an impact!  Who would ever think that two seven year old boys could give so much to children and families suffering from Autism? Ask Jacob and Dylan…
Jacob: ” I wanted to help Autism Speaks because it is really sad that there are kids who can’t talk or even know when something is funny, so we should help them.”
Dylan: “Autism is a really hard thing, and it is hard for the Mommies and Daddies too, so we want to help so that the scientists can continue their work more and more.”
Jenn, their loving Mom, is beaming with pride:
“When I explained to the boys what Autism is, and how it effects some of our closest friends and family, and that the money from their birthday party would help fund research that could one day help people we love, they didn’t hesitate.  They both thought it was a great idea. As a parent, you always question whether you are raising your children properly.  You want to teach them to be good people, but you are never sure if the lessons are getting through.  The experience with ECHOage really made me feel like I was really doing something right…I have never been so proud in my life.”
Jacob and Dylan
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