Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays celebrates children on their special day
Submitted
Beverly鈥檚 Babies divisions staff (facing camera) Paige Jones and Megs Yunn (far right).
Submitted
Grayson Yunn celebrates at a party given by Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays.
Submitted
Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays gives out Birthday Cheer Bins to children in the community.
In 2012, Megs Yunn, founder of Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays, asked a little boy at a domestic violence shelter what made birthdays so important.
鈥淗e said, 鈥楳iss Megs, birthdays are about showing the world that you matter,'鈥� she recalled.
Yunn said she spoke to the boy shortly after launching the organization, which gives gifts to children on their birthdays and hosts parties. Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays is named for a little girl who was turning 12, and told Yunn she had never celebrated her birthday. Yunn thought there must be many more children like Beverly.
Today, Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays celebrates the birthdays of more than 9,000 children every year.
鈥淭he one thing we all have in common is that we all have a birthday,鈥� she said.
Regardless of how old a person is, Yunn said that on their birthday 鈥測ou still want to wake up that day knowing that you鈥檙e loved and that you matter to someone.鈥�
Yunn launched Beverly鈥檚 Babies in the summer of 2022, supporting new moms by providing critical baby care items, hosting community baby showers and launching The Greater Pittsburgh Infant Formula Bank.
鈥淔eeding babies is pretty critical,鈥� she said.
Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays is based in North Huntingdon and celebrates children in seven counties. They celebrate birthdays with Birthday Cheer Bins, host birthday parties and provide teachers in low-income areas with celebration kits.
They also have a mobile fashion truck with a Birthday Boutique on board for kids to pick new clothes on their birthdays.
Yunn said the mobile Birthday Boutique helped Beverly鈥檚 Birthdays continue their services through the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淏ecause we had this mobile component already in place, we basically just partied outside,鈥� Yunn said.
They started with curbside parties, and then moved to distanced parties as conditions allowed. The mobile fashion truck also provided a connection so that people with additional needs could be connected to other supports and services.
Yunn said they 鈥済rew exponentially over the pandemic,鈥� so they have an increased need for critical care baby items. She said inflation has also increased the cost of their needed items, especially in baby care.
鈥淚 have to raise $2.2 million this year, so every dollar matters,鈥� Yun said.
Yunn said she is a mom of four and grew her own family while growing the organization.
鈥淔or me, the work is really, truly centered around validation. It shows families they鈥檙e worthy, that someone out there is thinking of them,鈥� she said.
She said that the organization supports people in dark times.
鈥淭o inject a little bit of light 鈥� you really can鈥檛 put a price tag on that. Hope is something that is a personal experience, and to know we are a part of that hope is really powerful,鈥� she said.
Those who are able to give can sponsor a child and give a Birthday Cheer Bin for $50. The organization website connects children in need with potential donors who share their birthday, called 鈥淏irthday Buddies.鈥�
For more information or to donate, visit www.beverlysbirthday.org.