TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County woman is making sure thousands of children get to have a birthday party.
Belinda Leto co-founded Celebrate Birthdays after she was shocked to learn how many kids were missing out on the fun and recognition of a birthday party.
Leto runs the organization out of a storefront in the mostly empty University Mall in Tampa. The facility’s shelves are stocked with toys and other gifts, and the back room is filled with party supplies.
“Each of you guys are going to make a box today. The boxes are over there,” said Leto as she directed a group of volunteers around a row of tables on a recent morning. “Each of you will be given a child’s name to pack for.”
The gifts are all placed in custom-made boxes with the Celebrate Birthday name and artwork.
“We rely on our community,” said Leto about where the funding and gifts come from. “Corporations that maybe do toy drives. Individuals that may drop them off.”
Belinda and her co-founder Celina Saunders started Celebrate Birthdays seven years ago to provide gifts and birthday parties for a small number of mostly foster children. But over the years, they have provided birthdays for more than 10,000 children.
They used to deliver the gifts in person, but there are so many requests to fill now that they have to send the birthdays in a box through the postal service.
“Birthdays are so special. It’s more than just a gift on a shelf. It’s about making that child feel loved,” Leto said. “Letting them know they are loved and seen — every child deserves that.”
Leto said a revealing moment early on was when the organization provided a birthday party for a 17-year-old foster child who started to cry as she blew out a candle on a cupcake.
“And we were like, ‘What’s going on with Jasmine?'” Leto said. “And she said, ‘This is my first birthday party ever, and I’m just so happy in this moment.’”
Celebrate Birthdays has a focus on literacy: Each child is given a book and often an educational toy. They also provide socks for children.
Lisa Belligan, who has been volunteering with Celebrate Birthdays since 2019, said she admires the work Leto does.
“She has this energy that lights up the room no matter who walks in the door,” she said. “Every person she encounters, especially children, she just touches their heart.”
Leto said all the work is worth it.
“Sometimes you feel depleted, but you see these children’s faces, and they love you and you are making a difference for them,” she said. “So, day by day, you keep going.”