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The Birthday Party

Most of the time the clowning that I do is at birthday parties. At these events the birthday child receives a balloon bouquet, is the center of attention, and my clown buddy for an hour of silly clown fun. A few years back I got to thinking how awful it would be to be a kid and never have, or be invited to a birthday party because it was not economically feasible.
Then I had an idea. I thought about the local homeless shelter and learned at any one time there may well be 25-30 kids living there. So every year since I have put on a birthday party for Pom Pom at the homeless shelter. I am always able to fit it into my schedule by having it during the summer months. We always have the traditional birthday party treats like cake, ice cream, punch, candy, games, balloons and of course a present for everyone!
Now how does one who is on a limited budget or depends on clowning to eek out a living throw such an event? This is what I do.
I approached a service club, (Kiwana's) in our area and told them about my idea and they loved it. They asked how much I needed to produce it and that was it the birthday party was on! I am pretty frugal with their $150.00 donation. An area merchant, (Walgreens) also makes a donation of poloroid film for my instant camera so that the kids can have a photo memory of the event. I make the cake myself and buy all the candy, ice cream, punch and presents with the club's donation. I buy the candy for the goody bags and also include coloring books and crayons in the bags. Each child also gets a gift wrapped present chosen especially for them. I visit the shelter the week of the party and get a list of the children's names. The list also tells whether they are a boy or girl and their age. Then it's shopping time. (My favorite part!) It is so much fun choosing the gifts. I spend $10-12 dollars each depending on how many kids there are. I try to get a few extra things in case new kids arrive.
Years later kids will come up to me and tell me, "You were at the homeless shelter when I was there." And they'll give me a big hug.
That pretty much says it all.