Love Week 2011

CHARLOTTE, NC  Thank you to all the volunteers that supported Bright Blessings during Love Week 2011.  We had close to 200 volunteers in 6 days to help unpack, sort and organize our new facility.  There were also children and youth helping wrap gifts, fill goody bags and make candy necklaces for the hundreds of children we serve every month.

Elevation Church had a goal of 25,000 hours of service during Love Week 2011.  With the help of more than 25 churches from all over Charlotte they exceeded their goal with over 34,000 hours of service!  Isn’t that amazing!

What a blessing all the volunteers were to so many organizations in Charlotte.  Love Week 2011 impacted thousands of lives around Charlotte from collecting shoes, prepared meals, cleaning up parks, of course helping out at Bright Blessings and much more across the city.

If you see anyone wearing a LOVE WEEK T-shirt around Charlotte, please be sure to THANK them for their service during Love Week 2011 and ask how you can get involved next year!  www.loveweekcharlotte.com

Thanks again Elevators for everything you do for Bright Blessings!  You Rock!!

Bright Blessings Welcomes Carly Behrmann as our Student Birthday Program Manager!

Carly Behrmann took on a huge role as our Volunteer Student Birthdays Program Manager in mid-Novemeber of 2010. Carly has been hard at work ensuring that the many local homeless children in Charlotte area schools receive Birthday gifts, goody bags or a “Fit to Celebrate” Party Pack.

In partnership with A Child’s Place, transient homeless students across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are identified for our Student Birthdays Project. These children do not live in area shelters but rather in motels, campgrounds, and other transient situations. Upon receiving the child’s name, age, gender, Carly and a group of dedicated volunteers start packing up goody bags for the Birthday Student. All student birthday packages include gifts, as well as care essentials and a blanket. These party packs and gift bags are dropped off anonymously and given to the child through social workers at the schools.

Carly and husband, Chris, go way back with the founders of Bright Blessings, John & Amy Cervantes. John and Chris were college classmates! The Behrmann family volunteered and attended events when possible for the past few years, but until recently, Carly’s full time pharmaceutical sales position, along with family responsibilities, kept Carly from being as involved as she wished.

Much like the Cervantes family, (whose family service project blossomed into this national 501(c)3 nonprofit) Carly wanted to get her children in the spirit of giving and thought Bright Blessings (formerly Birthday Blessings) was the perfect opportunity.

The Student Birthday Program is lucky to have individuals, churches, schools, and other organizations come together to donate materials and time to help make the program a huge success. If interested in getting involved with Carly and the Student Birthday Program, email contact@brightblessingsusa.org or call (704)846-BDAY!

Bless Their Hearts at Toys & Co. February 20th – 26th

CHARLOTTE, NC –  Toys & Co. in Cotswold Village Shops at 242 S. Sharon Amity Road is generously donating 20% of purchases made between February 20th – 26th to support the homeless children we serve with the programs of Bright Blessings. The 9,000-square-foot  interactive toy store in South Charlotte offers more fun than a barrel of monkeys, so if you have never explored this toy mecca with your kids, you’re in for a treat!

Be sure to mention Bless Their Hearts at Bright Blessings when you make your purchase.  Thank you for your support!!

Toys & Co. is a donation drop site and proud sponsor of Birthday Blessings, and offers a year-round 15% discount on items purchased and donated to Bright Blessings.

Please help us spread the word!

All About Baby – Charlotte – February 27th

CHARLOTTE, NC  Registration is NOW OPEN for All About Baby – Charlotte! February 27th, see complete invite details on the website but start emailing now to reserve your spot! The first 50 attendees (Moms to Be or Moms with newborns)with RESERVED spots go home with one of our amazing Baby Booty Bags!! email customerservice@bellyelan.com to reserve your spot now!

All About Baby is a proud supporter of Bright Blessings and will be  accepting new, baby-related items as a donation for the Bless-A-Baby basket program.  

All About Baby Charlotte | Charlotte’s Premiere Baby Event!!!

A Very Merry “Unbirthday” to Us All!

CHARLOTTE, NC  I’m sure you are thinking what in the world is an Unbirthday!  Ms. Shockley, a 1st grade teacher at Selwyn Elementary, has an annual “unbirthday” party to celebrate student’s birthdays that may fall over any of the extended breaks from school.  So for you summer birthdays, you get to celebrate twice in one year if you have Ms. Shockley for a teacher.  How nice is that!!

Ms. Shockley had heard about Birthday Blessings, now Bright Blessings, and thought it would be a great opportunity to help the homeless children we serve by asking her students to bring in donations for the Student Birthdays Project.

She felt this service learning opportunity would complement the character study the students have been and will continue doing in class.  December’s trait was Caring and January was Justice & Fairness.

Ms. Shockley’s students not only brought in donations like juice, cookies, lollipops and napkins but they also made birthday cards and banners to brighten the smile of a homeless child on their birthday.

There were a total of 7 students celebrating their “Unbirthday” but a classroom full of students with caring and giving hearts!

Thank you for thinking of Bright Blessings!  Happy Unbirthday to Us All!

Zensible Mama – My Best Birthday Gift Received

CHARLOTTE, NC  Maricris, also known as Zensible Mama, generously held a Toy Drive in honor of her birthday.  Maricris said, “Instead of celebrating mine, I celebrated the life of the homeless children in my community with the help of family and friends.” 

As you see in the picture, Maricris, her family and friends have huge giving hearts!  Maricris even received 104 Zhu Zhu Pets from the actual toy manufacturer!

Maricris also shared, “At the day of the Toy Drive when it was finally cake time, the kids sang Happy Birthday NOT to me but to “dear homeless kids” on their own accord that I’d dare say, even those with an abominable snowman hearts will melt if they’ve heard that!”

Maricris – we can’t thank you enough for your generosity and thinking of the homeless children we serve.  I know this was your best birthday ever!

Check out Maricris’ video as she documented the Toy Drive and the actual delivery to our Clanton Rd. office. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrRLNqH2bzk

New volunteer positions available

February 2, 2011 - Bright Blessings continues to grow!  We are currently seeking volunteers to serve  as Facility Hosts at our new location, The Giving Village, in Matthews.  We are also seeking two Volunteer Co-Coordinators to help plan and carry out birthday celebrations for children at a local homeless shelter once per month.  Please click the link below to read more about these opportunities and let us know if you are interested in joining the Bright Blessings team! 

Facility Hosts and Volunteer Party Co-Coordinators

We are a volunteer-strong organization serving thousands of homeless children each year, thanks to the many helping hands and hearts who give so generously to help brighten the lives of kids in need.  Thanks for your interest in serving with Bright Blessings!

Heartwarming video: watch BB in action

January 27, 2011 - Catch a glimpse of Bright Blessings in action!  Watch as volunteers prepare gifts and supplies, as festive cupcakes are baked, and then witness the smiles and joy of children during a Bright Blessings party at a local shelter. 

Click this link to watch now: Bright Blessings video on “What’s Cooking”

Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated to help make this celebration a special one for the kids and families at Charlotte Emergency Housing: 

* Party preparations volunteer team: W.H. Gill & Associates

* Pastry partner: Suzi Allora of Suzi Skinny Cakes 

* Bright Blessings volunteer coordinator: Bronwyn Pressley and daughter Aubrey

* Adopt-a-Party group: Marni Eisner and friends

* And a special thanks to AllRecipes.com and host of “What’s Cooking,” Michael Ketchum, for making the trip all the way to Charlotte to share in the Bright Blessings experience!

Bright Blessings featured on “What’s Cooking” show!

January 24, 2011 – Tune in to AllRecipes.TV this Thursday morning, January 27, and view the “What’s Cooking” webisode featuring Bright Blessings! 

The segment will tell the Bright Blessings story with scenes of volunteers at our facility preparing gifts and supplies, cake baking and decorating by loyal pastry partner Suzi Allora of Suzi Skinny Cakes, and see the smiling faces of children at Charlotte Emergency Housing during a Bright Blessings birthday celebration.  

Michael Ketchum, host of the “What’s Cooking” show, and his team were here in Charlotte last November to see first hand what Bright Blessings is all about and to film the scenes for this special webisode.  We are honored and excited to be featured on the AllRecipes.com tv channel.  Our thanks to Michael and everyone at AllRecipes for helping share the mission and programs of Bright Blessings with their viewers. 

Be sure to tune in this Thursday morning, January 27,  for the ”What’s Cooking” show!

Volunteer Spotlight: Elizabeth Nickles

Introducing Mrs.  Elizabeth Nickles!  Elizabeth Nickles is Birthday Blessing’s volunteer party coordinator for Florence Crittenton.  Elizabeth has been with Birthday Blessings since March of 2010.  Elizabeth is a happily married mother of two “babies!”.  Her family relocated from Virginia Beach two years ago.

While having family fun at Monkey Joe’s with her two beautiful children (Faith and Will) early this year, Mrs. Nickles took notice of a fundraiser Birthday Blessings was holding at the location.  Elizabeth loved the organization’s purpose (Birthday Blessings aims to provide positive emotional experiences for homeless children and their families by lifting spirits, promoting self-worth, and supporting basic needs) and knew she wanted to be involved. 

Elizabeth has been doing a fantastic job making these parties successful.  One of the mothers at Florence Crittenton told her that the “Blessing Baskets are awesome and really do help” us!  Blessing Baskets are given to babies and new mothers born into homelessness.  They contain essentials like onesies, formula, diapers, bottles, pacifiers and baby powder.

To learn how you can help Elizabeth and Bright Blessings (formerly Birthday Blessings) continue to provide Blessing Baskets and Beyond, click here: http://birthdayblessings.org/Volunteer.html find out more about our programs.