When she was in the third grade, during a classroom discussion about hardships faced by foster children, Ava James learned that some kids in foster care don’t have the opportunity to fully celebrate their birthdays. On top of the other adversity that children in foster care tend to face, this particular fact struck James as deeply upsetting. “I thought, hey, that's really sad,” she said. “It’s not okay.”
Then, she learned about the concept of a birthday box: a box filled with cake-making supplies, decorations, books, toys, and more, which can be given to children in foster care or other difficult situations in celebration of their birthday. James thought the idea was “really cool,” and that it could make a big impact on foster kids in her community.
Now 13 years old and preparing to enter the eighth grade, James is working on her own concept of a birthday box, called “Bundles of Birthdays” or “B.O.B.,” for short. James, who is a Girl Scout Cadette in Longmont Troop 77904, pitched B.O.B. as a Silver Award project last winter. A Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can receive. To earn one, a Girl Scout must research an issue they care about, make a plan to address it, and then take action to improve their community.
Silver Award projects can have up to three Girl Scouts working on them, but James is working alone on her B.O.B. project. But despite flying solo, she said she’s gotten some help and pointers from employees of CASA Adams and Broomfield Counties, which is a nonprofit that advocates for children in foster care, and a family friend named Melinda Coburn, who has fostered a number of children. James plans to donate the birthday boxes she assembles to CASA.
James’ B.O.B. boxes will include cake mix and frosting, children’s books and toys, card making supplies, and jellyfish stickers and tattoos. A jellyfish is the “mascott” of James’ project — a fun touch that turned out to be surprisingly symbolic.
“I just really wanted a mascot, I'm not sure why, and I love jellyfish,” James said. “But then my mom was like, ‘Hey, you should look up what the jellyfish represents.’ And I did, and it represents strength and surrender and adolescence. And I was like, that's perfect for my project that I'm doing.”
The completion of James’ birthday boxes will be partly reliant on community donations for supplies. James has an Amazon wishlist online, where people can purchase relevant items or donate Amazon gift cards. The goal is to put together 50 total B.O.B. birthday boxes, which James needs to complete by the end of her eighth grade year, which is next spring. Then, she can submit a report and officially finish the Silver Award project.
“Not a lot of people, when they are asked about things that they’ve done in their lives, get to say that they’ve been a Girl Scout for seven plus years,” James said. “I just think it's so great to be able to show off something amazing that I've done to other people.”
The biggest donation needed for her project, according to James, is the physical boxes that the B.O.B. bundles will be packaged in. The boxes are more expensive than originally anticipated, costing around $400 for 50. But overall, since she started the project, James has already received “lots” of donations, and the community seems generally very eager to help.
When her project is complete and kids can finally receive James’ birthday boxes, she hopes that it brings them an “overwhelming sense of joy.”
“I just think it would be great for them to be able to get a little burst of color and happiness for their birthday,” she said.
