Want to help local children celebrate with Birthday Boxes? Here’s how
This month will mark a major milestone for Pahrump resident Shannon Arimura as she celebrates her birthday, but she doesn’t want the focus to be all on herself.
Arimura is using her special occasion to help local families who might be struggling to afford birthday parties for their own youngsters.
Hosting the Birthday Box Donation Drive, Arimura is hoping to collect as much birthday accoutrements as possible because, as she told the Pahrump Valley Times, “All children deserve to be celebrated on their birthdays!”
“I will be turning the big 50 in June. I have thought a lot about how to celebrate and what makes a birthday special. This year I am going to celebrate by ensuring that the kids in my community also get to celebrate their birthdays,” Arimura detailed. “There are so many struggling families. And food stamps might be able to cover the cake but it doesn’t cover the rest. It’s a hard position to be in when your little ones don’t understand why other kids get parties and they don’t.
“So for my birthday I will be building birthday boxes to give to kids in need throughout our community and I invite all my family and friends to help me celebrate my birthday by donating birthday boxes or items needed to create one. My goal is to donate at least 50 boxes,” she continued. “We will put the boxes together on my birthday… You are invited to drop off boxes or donations at that time and have a piece of birthday cake with me. I will be posting all the goodies that go into a box and how you can participate if you’re far away.”
Arimura is aiming for each Birthday Box to contain a variety of items essential to birthday celebrations, including a cake pan, cake mix, frosting, candles, birthday banners and hats, party noise makers, balloons, a gift and a goodie.
As of the end of May, Arimura had already accumulated over 50 requests for Birthday Boxes from Nye County schools, including Rosemary Clarke Middle School, Manse Elementary, J.G. Johnson Elementary and Amargosa schools. “But I would love for other organizations that could utilize the boxes to have access to them and of course, I’d like to invite the public to participate and come celebrate with me,” Arimura noted.
Those who are unable to attend in person can make donations to the cause via CashApp: $ShannonMoore625 or Venmo: @Shannon-Moore-146 or Zelle: 775-910-3329.
Arimura’s birthday celebration event will take place Tuesday, June 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pahrump Moose Lodge, with Birthday Box building beginning at 6 and cake to be served at 7 p.m.
“All are welcome to come and have a piece of cake,” Arimura enthused. “And please feel free to invite anyone interested in participating.”
Details are available at facebook.com/events/477874761262492/
For more information contact Arimura at 775-910-3329 or email Shannon2811@yahoo.com
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
