Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Community

Meet the Teen Bringing Birthday Fun to Underpriviledged Kids

I co-founded Celebrate U with my friend, Chase Kauder, to take our philanthropic efforts to the next level. Through Celebrate U, we strive to spread joy by throwing birthday parties for disadvantaged children living in underserved communities. We work with local and national organizations to donate gifts, crafts, food, music and other services to create memorable experiences for children. Birthday parties are a simple way to recognize children and let them know they are important and provide hope for a brighter year ahead. My team begin by creating a large birthday banner signed by all of the attendees, followed by various age-based games including sing-alongs. Celebrate U has raised more than $20,000 to host more than 1,000 birthday parties with the help of sponsors such as Magnolia Bakery and Treat House and the volunteer efforts of over 250 New York City student volunteers.

I am so grateful to be selected as a 2016 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipient and I am so appreciative to the Helen Diller Family Foundation for giving me this amazing opportunity. This award is a validation of the importance of Celebrate U and the impact that we are making on children’s lives. With this award I will be able to further my college education as well as expand Celebrate U.

Our goal is to make Celebrate U into a national organization and this award helps that goal become a reality. What is so special about the Tikkun Olam Award is that I am joining a group of teens who share similar interests and goals with me and also have a passion for giving back. I feel lucky to be part of such a special group.

Community service is so important because you get to see firsthand how much of a difference you can make. Doing community service also allows you to become more grateful for what you have. I didn’t realize the impact that Celebrate U would have on our volunteers. I am always thrilled to see the smiling faces of the children we celebrate and I am just as excited to see the joy our parties bring to the volunteers.

Celebrate U is run by teens and we truly empower our volunteers to run the events and connect with the children. I am always looking for volunteers to join Celebrate U as I know firsthand how impactful volunteering can be. The goal of our parties is to bring two hours of pure happiness to children, boost their self-esteem and provide hope for a positive future. We feel it’s so important to have family friends and their community shower them with love and attention to let them know that they are appreciated. I encourage you to check out my website for more information on how you can get involved.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.