Nonprofit Collaborative Celebrates Inaugural "Birthday Palooza at Kidspace" Saturday, May 6, 2023

Celebratory Sibling Reunion brings together hundreds of siblings separated by foster care for day of fun and family

May is National Foster Care Month
"Strengthening Minds, Uplifting Families" is 2023 theme

LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Foster Love, the non-profit organization devoted to improving how children experience the foster care system in America, is partnering with several nonprofit organizations including Kidspace Museum, Make Good Inc., and Hope in a Suitcase to create "Birthday Palooza at Kidspace," a celebratory day-long event that will reunite hundreds of siblings separated by foster care. The event will be held at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena, CA on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

In keeping with 2023 National Foster Care Month theme, "Strengthening Minds, Uplifting Families," the Birthday Palooza at Kidspace event is designed to help biological siblings separated in the foster system celebrate one of the many important family milestones they miss the most: sharing birthdays together. For this one special day, the museum transforms into a giant party space where it's everyone's birthday, complete with food, singing, birthday cake and cupcakes, and gifts. And because every great party has a festive theme, this year's Birthday Palooza is a "Superpower Party," with special decorations, "power station" challenges, and photo ops designed around a superhero motif. After the festivities, each child will receive their own birthday gift and a backpack full of books put together by Hope in a Suitcase and Make Good, Inc.

"Siblings in foster care might be separated for a variety of reasons, including the need for individualized care and placement, limited availability of suitable foster homes that can accommodate multiple children, and concerns related to the safety and welfare of the siblings," explains Gianna Dahlia Mulkay, Executive Director of Foster Love. "We know that family visitation time, including time with siblings, is critical to maintaining family bonds, supporting child well-being, and increasing family reunification rates. Birthday Palooza is a joyful way to reunite siblings, strengthen their bonds, and create lasting memories together."

Nothing can contain a true superhero, and in that spirit the entire Kidspace campus will become the exclusive domain of the partygoers. "It's a complete museum takeover," says Kidspace CEO Lisa Clements. "Kidspace is a nonprofit children's museum, and we strive to invite every child in our community to experience the important benefits that only play can provide. We're also a place where joy is the engine for making connections to ideas, the world, and each other, so we're ready to celebrate!"

In addition to the Superpower Party elements, children will enjoy a silly boat adventure at the museums' blue sand lily pad pond, spin in super-sized versions of traditional Mexican toy tops, fill up their wheelbarrows at the fanciful Muddy Boot Farm, and generally play, create, explore, invent, build, climb, stomp, and splash. "The museum is designed to be a place where children make the choices, and we're definitely not going to tell any superheroes what to do," says Clements.

Nearly a dozen photographers will be on hand to capture the moments of sibling reunions, the Superpower photo ops, and other memorable activities so the kids participating can leave with a keepsake of the day.  A highlight of the event will be the presentation of a giant birthday cake, with hundreds of cupcakes brought out for the children to enjoy as they celebrate their "birthday."

"Youths in foster care deserve the same opportunities as all children to feel happy, appreciated as unique individuals, and spend time with their siblings," continues Mulkay, "sadly, these cheerful moments often get neglected in foster care, particularly during occasions as significant as birthdays. Therefore, the Birthday Palooza at Kidspace event holds great significance for foster youths to celebrate both their own and their siblings' birthdays while creating joyful memories and establishing stronger bonds with each other."

The event will also bring together over a hundred community volunteers who will chaperone and host small groups of sibling sets at the event to ensure each child has a memorable experience. The event is made possible due to individual donors and support from Pritzker Foster Care Initiative.

Foster Love is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization comprised of motivated young adults and former foster youth. Our vision is to improve the lives of children in foster care, who often find themselves forgotten and neglected by the public. We collaborate with individuals, companies, and community partners to bring resources to foster youth and use service-learning activities to educate volunteers on issues surrounding the foster care system. www.fosterlove.com

Kidspace is a nonprofit museum designed to delight and engage children intellectually, emotionally, and physically through joyful, kid-driven experiences. We invite all children to play, discover, and create, and to explore the world with curiosity and kindness. www.kidspace.org

Hope in a Suitcase is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit group benefiting Los Angeles foster children. Through zero fault of their own, many children enter emergency foster care with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and they often travel from home to home carrying their few personal items in a plastic trash bag. Hope in a Suitcase provides NEW luggage, clothing, shoes and comfort items to make their transition a little easier, and to remind children that their belongings deserve the same level of respect as they do, no matter where they go. www.hopeinasuitcase.org

Make Good, Inc believes in creating a more equitable society by providing tangible, take home, on-the-ground impact for Los Angeles' most vulnerable and underserved children and youth. We do this through our two signature programs: The Book Foundation and the TAY Shop. We believe being literate goes beyond words and books. It includes financial and nutritional literacy, social and emotional intelligence and having one's needs met with dignity and respect.  www.makegoodinc.org

Pritzker Foster Care Initiative is leading our nation's movement to establish a system of child and family wellbeing and reduce the number of children in foster care. www.ajpff.org

Press Contact: Rita Hollingsworth/RMH Media
213-361-2736 or [email protected]

SOURCE Foster Love