Boston No Kill cat rescue organization. Did you know that black cats are only half as likely to get adopted as cats of other colors?

Bringing Birthday Parties to Homeless Children. Birthday Wishes is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID: 55-0856553 Birthday Wishes was founded in November 2002 by Lisa Vasiloff, Karen Yahara, and Carol Zwanger – three friends and colleagues who wanted to help homeless children build self-esteem. Having volunteered in several homeless shelters, it occurred to the trio - as they attended one of their own children’s birthday parties - that at the shelters, children’s birthdays often came and went uncelebrated. Their subsequent research indicated that no organizations existed exclusively to provide birthday parties to children living in homeless shelters. After speaking with local shelters and state advocacy groups, they found that most homeless shelters do not have the personnel or resources necessary to hold birthday parties for the children who stay there. Furthermore, the parent is often unable, both economically and emotionally, to organize a party for her child. Some parents, embarrassed that they don’t have money for cakes and presents, don’t even tell their children that they have a birthday. For homeless children, birthday parties are a luxury that neither the parent nor the shelter can afford. Yet a birthday is an important event in the life of a child, and Birthday Wishes was founded on the belief that every child, regardless of their living situation, should have their birthday recognized and celebrated. Birthday Wishes has found that something as simple and ‘normal’ as a birthday party has the power to make these children feel both special, and, perhaps more important, like a “regular kid”. The first parties were held at the Second Step shelter in Newton, MA. Within a few months, 8 more shelters were added, and within three years growth had doubled. Today serves more than 200 shelters and transitional living facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Long Island, New York. Our goal is to provide birthday parties to all homeless children in Massachusetts and to make our model available to homeless family programs nationwide.

Economic empowerment of the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy is central to WIEGO’s mission. http://www.wiego.org WIEGO's network consists of organizations of informal workers, individual researchers and development professionals engaged in or concerned with informal employment. We seek to improve the status of the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy by: - helping to strengthen their membership-based organizations and networks - highlighting the size, composition, characteristics, and contribution of the informal economy through improved statistics and research - promoting equitable working conditions and inclusive global trade, social protection, and urban planning policies - promoting processes and policy dialogues with decision makers that include informal workers Find out more about WIEGO’s global action-research-policy network and the informal economy at www.wiego.org.