FemCity Boca Delray is a local women’s professional organization that creates a space for women to support other women in business and in life. The organization does a lot of work supporting local business and community efforts, and has selected Best Foot Forward as their 2022 Philanthropy Partner, working to supply the non-profit with supplies they need.
The BFF Birthday Boxes project came about when FemCity Boca Delray President Melanie De Vito approached Best Foot Forward Co-Founder Donna Biase with the question “how can I get my own kids involved in service this summer?” Donna explained that it isn’t easy involving children in their work, but their team had a new project in mind. The idea was to create celebration boxes to distribute to the kids in their program on their birthdays. The project was serendipitously timed, because that summer Melanie would be turning 40, and thought it would be a great opportunity to celebrate her own big birthday this year, by giving BFF’s children an opportunity to celebrate their own.
Melanie set it as her mission to create a birthday box for each of the 250 kids in the program and teamed up with her best friend and Founder of Groundedco Mariel Rosefield. Together, with their children, they exceeded their fundraising goal, procured truckloads of party supplies, packed birthday boxes, and recruited their friends and family to help wrap the gifts. Poetically, the boxes were delivered on Mariel’s birthday weekend and on the last day of summer for Palm Beach County Schools.
The boxes contain items such as cake mix, birthday banners, balloons, blowers, paper goods, utensils, party hats, and a small toy for the children to enjoy.
