Michelle* and her daughter Rebecca* share a birthday and this year they were both celebrating important milestones. Michelle was turning 50 while Rebecca was celebrating her 18th birthday. This led them to host a big joint party but they wanted to mark the occasion by helping those less fortunate than themselves.
Michelle had previously lived in the Philippines and Indonesia for a number of years, when her children were little. During this time she was involved with charity work to help the many less fortunate so when planning the party Michelle couldn’t stand the thought of family and friends bringing gifts for them and wanted to do something that could help others.
Michelle liked the idea of something to do with books, especially for children. She had treasured the books that she had received as a child. She found that a lot of charities were asking only for money donations and wasn’t comfortable asking their guests for that. Luckily, Michele did not give up and found The Footpath Library’s website. She included a request with a link to the website with the invitations.
“The response was amazing! Everybody loved the idea of giving something back in a positive way and solved the idea of ‘What do I buy as a gift?’ The 18 year olds were extremely enthusiastic about the idea and many friends that couldn’t make the party still sent books,” said Michelle.
After a close family member needed the support of a woman’s refuge Michelle understands the importance of these services and wanted to be able to help. Michele and her daughter received some really beautiful books including the classic Possum Magic and books by Roald Dahl in lieu of gifts.
“I hope they will bring a smile and escape from the situation they are in,” said Michelle.
* Names have been changed for privacy reasons.
