TROY, Ohio — Shelly Calvert is the executive director of We Love Birthday Parties.

What You Need To Know

  • Shelly Calvert is helping children celebrate their special day through We Love Birthday Parties initiatives

  • Through We Love Birthday Parties, Shelly prepares birthday boxes or throws free birthday parties for children in need

  • She does all of it with the help of the community  

Calvert has been working on a set of birthday boxes for kids in foster care and the court system.

Each box is filled with cake mix, baking essentials, toys and much more.

“The inspiration is to spread love to kids in our community who might not otherwise be celebrated, to just let them know they matter, that they’re special and that we care about them,” Calvert said.

Organizations in Troy are helping make that happen.

Partners in Hope, a social service organization, recently donated over 50 toys to We Love Birthday Parties.

“It’s important to us that we have gained the support of our community and that they’re helping us out with donations because it shows that they understand what we’re doing. That spreading love and happiness through birthday parties is an important thing to do and they know what it means to these kids.”

Partners in Hope Executive Director Carol Jackson said it's so important to give back and help the cause.

“We have always been very much a supporter of collaborating with other organizations in Miami County and we really want to support each other so we can do the best job we can do for the people in our community who need us,” Jackson said.

Once Calvert prepares the birthday boxes she drops them off at Seeds of Hope, an organization that assists foster families and kinship families with essential items they need.

Co-director Katie Vasil said the birthday boxes help put a smile on children’s faces.

“We’ve had families tell us this is the first birthday party that the child in their care has ever had,” Vasil said. “So when Shelly brings these boxes to us and they’re full of goodies and toys and things that are specially picked out for the needs of that child, it just makes such a huge impact on the kiddo, but also the family.”

Calvert said she enjoys putting a smile their the children's faces.

“It makes me feel so incredible to have the honor to let these kids know that they are valued, that they were born for a reason and that they matter,” she said.

To learn more about We Love Birthday Parties, visit welovebirthdayparties.org.