Lucy and Ellie Challenge!
Birthday parties are great - they are a fun way to get your friends and family together to celebrate. But with so many possessions, from toys to just about anything, some children have more than they need. So, instead of collecting more "stuff," why not use your special day as a chance to do something for someone else. That's what Columbus, Ohio residents Lucy and Ellie say - and at 7-years-old, that is a very generous thing to do.
Donations Please, Not Birthday Gifts, Say 7-year-olds
Columbus, OH - For their seventh birthday, friends Lucy O’Brien and Ellie Kessinger of Columbus, Ohio, don’t have a very long wish list. They’re not asking for Webkinz or American Girl dolls. A surprise visit from Justin Bieber hasn’t even made it on the list. Instead, the charming duo is asking guests and their parents to consider making donations to either Sepsis Alliance or Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Why would two almost seven-year-olds choose to forgo party gifts? Last year, Lucy and Ellie were invited to a friend’s party where she had requested donations for earthquake victims in Haiti. And this isn’t Ellie’s first time throwing a birthday party for a cause. Last year, Ellie asked for books to be donated to the hospital instead of people bringing her birthday presents.
This year, the girls – friends for the past two years – decided they would combine their birthday wishes and ask for donations again. "We already have a lot of stuff,” says Ellie. “Other people don't have as much and need help. So we just wanted to do this for them."
But why these causes? The answer is quite simple, according to Lucy: "Because sepsis is something that makes people very sick and they can even die." Lucy's dad, James O'Brien, Jr., MD, is a board member of Sepsis Alliance and a critical care physician at The Ohio State University Medical Center. Sepsis is the body's toxic response to infection and is sometimes called blood poisoning. Every 2.5 minutes, one person in the United States dies because of sepsis and many more people live with its lasting effects. In addition, sepsis is the second leading cause of death among children in the U.S., after accidents, approximately 4,400.
The girls know about sepsis because Lucy's dad, James O'Brien, Jr., MD, is on the Sepsis Alliance board of directors and is a critical care physician at The Ohio State University Medical Center. Learning about sepsis has made Lucy realize that this is a serious illness that needs more attention.
Lucy and Ellie do understand, as well, that there are other great causes around them, so they suggested that an alternate donation for people may be the National Children's Hospital, for which they requested book donations for patients - as Ellie did last year for her birthday.
Now for the challenge!
Lucy and Ellie know that they can't meet their goal alone though. They want to raise 1000.00 for Sepsis Alliance by January 1, 2011. If you would like to help the girls meet their goal, please click on the Donate button to make a donation in their name.
How do you arrange a donation-only birthday party?
Whether you're younger or older, a birthday is a great chance to share with others, so why not join the girls with their crusade to help others who need it. Lucy and Ellie are also challenging others to match their idea to help raise funds for Sepsis Alliance.
Donation parties aren't much different from the traditional birthday parties, the only difference is the request for donations to charity instead of bringing gifts. Although it's generally frowned upon by etiquette mavens to mention gifts, everyone knows that when you're invited to a child's birthday party, you usually bring a gift. Given that these are charity parties, you do have to mention this in your invitation. Hearing about the donation request may inspire people to donate to a cause you care about.
When your guests make a donation, they should mention along with their donation that this gift is in honor of the birthday boy or girl, so a total can be kept for the celebrant.
If you have any questions regarding donations to Sepsis Alliance, please email us at info@sepsisalliance.org.
To make a donation to help Lucy and Ellie, or to donate for yourself or someone else, please visit our donate page.
Every little bit helps!
Adults can party too!
If you want an excuse to throw a party, whether it's your birthday or New Year's Eve, or you just love to entertain, why not invite people to help out a charitable cause like Sepsis Alliance? You too can meet Lucy and Ellie's challenge!
Sepsis Alliance can provide you with information about what sepsis is and why we are raising money to support this patient-advocacy organization.
If you use Facebook to announce your party or event, Sepsis Alliance has a Facebook page where you can direct your invitees, so they can see a bit more about us. Finally, if you let us know about your party or event, we can keep a tally of how much money you raised and you can share this information with your friends, maybe challenging them to do something similar.
Workplace events?
Workplaces can participate in Lucy and Ellie's challenge too!
It's not unusual for a workplace to have a cause for which they do fundraising. This could be in form of a bowl-a-thon, walk-a-thon, or any other type of fun gathering. If the idea of raising funds for Sepsis Alliance is one that would be appealing to your employees, we can provide you with information on sepsis and our role in raising awareness.