Birthday Party Benefits Hospital, Humane Society

Like many other children, 7-year-old Sara Simpson and 8-year-old Caroline Hendricks celebrated their birthdays with a party.

What made their party, held at the Simpson home Oct. 24, different than most is they donated all of their gifts to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the Glendale Humane Society, raising more than $120 in cash donations and $500 in toys and gifts to these charities.

Themed in a carnival spirit, and set up like one on the spacious Simpson property, the party attracted more than 40 children and parents, who enjoyed games such as bean-bag toss, plinko, bobbing for apples, face painting, and a bounce-house. The children enjoyed hot-dogs and fresh popcorn from a machine lent by a Fremont School parent.

When asked why they didn't want the toys themselves, both girls said they wanted to help the kids in the hospital, "because we like to help other kids, and they needed the toys more than we do."

Their own parents agreed, and that feeling was shared by many of the adults in attendance. Caroline's older brother, Brock, had a similar party a few years ago where friends brought books to his party rather than gifts, and he later donated them to the Montrose Library.