What: The Birthday Party Project Turns 8
Where: The Bomb Factory
The 411: The Dallas-based nonprofit, which throws awesome birthday parties for children in homeless shelters, pumped up the volume and rewound to the '80s for a totally rad eighth birthday party on January 25.
It's become annual tradition for the charity to celebrate its own birthday with a blow-out party, where 100 percent of proceeds go directly to its mission of helping kids feel special on their own birthdays.
For the '80s-themed bash, guests threw it back MTV-style, donning nylon tracksuits, fanny packs, scrunchies, and bangs teased to the sky. There were '80s prom queens, SNL Coneheads, Ghostbusters, heavy metal rockers, Ferris Bueller, Salt-N-Pepa, and more costumes that captured the decade of excess.
The Bomb Factory itself was transformed to match the occasion, radiating '80s cool with glowing neon, a graffiti photo backdrop framed by oversized spray paint bottles, and VHS tapes displayed throughout.
Founder and Chief Birthday Enthusiast Paige Chenault took the stage to share exciting news ahead of the party’s live auction: The Birthday Party Project now has a scholarship. “Here are so many kids we celebrate with extraordinary stories of perseverance — and sometimes all a kid needs is for someone to give them a little boost so they can see what’s possible," she said. "We want to alleviate roadblocks that children often face when they experience homelessness."
The first scholarship recipient is 17-year-old Franchesca Jennings, who appeared on stage beside Chenault when she made the surprise announcement. TBPP celebrated her 14th birthday, along with her sisters’ birthdays, while their family was experiencing homelessness.
The event also honored Amanda and Ford Albritton and Emily and Walter Clarke for their generous and continued support.
Since it was founded in 2012, the organization has has celebrated more than 10,000 birthdays with 50,000 kids in 15 cities.
Who: Travis Brorsen, Heather Brorsen, Robbie Martin, Jeff Martin, Amy Huhnke, Jack Pratt, Maggie Kipp, Arden Ellis, Scott Ellis, Chris Martin, Alex Martin, Brian O'Boyle, Jamie O'Boyle, Jackie Pittman, Travis Pittman, Jennifer Robertson, Leanna Evans, Aaron Coleman, Claudia Coleman, Bailey Lloyd, Jessica Rugg, Tiffany Brooks, Jessica Jones, Jeff Jones, Rick Baron, Stacy Locke, Jim Griffin, Kelly Griffin, Ryan Tevis, Tara Tevis, Ty Wilcox, Amy McCarrick, Natalie Wilcox, Heather Bronson, Jill Watson, Waldo Gonzalez, Griffin Gonzalez, Chelsea Bailey, Parker Bailey, Billy Charalambopoulos, and many more.
Travis Brorsen, Heather Brorsen, Robbie Martin, Jeff Martin, Amy Huhnke
Natalie Boerder, Kaleta Blaffer-Johnson, Meredith Connally, Jennifer Cifuentes, Nathalie Barrera, Hayden Hrncir.Photo by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio
A quartet played Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes during dinner. Photo by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio 