Charity Profile

Birthday Party Project brings joy — and cake — to Dallas-area shelter kids

Dallas transplant Paige Chenault understands the power of birthday parties — especially for kids who may not always feel special and valued. She started the Birthday Party Project two years ago to do just that: bring joy to children in local shelters.

Chenault partners with organizations like Family Gateway, Genesis Women's Shelter, New Friends New Life, Family Place and Interfaith Housing to throw birthday parties for up to 300 kids a month. Each child celebrating a birthday gets a cake, a gift, and a crown or tiara.

At every party there are 12 to 15 volunteer “birthday enthusiasts,” whose “No. 1 goal is to love on the kids and interact with them,” Chenault says. All of the kids in the shelter play as a group, with their parents and with the volunteers.

There are no fundraisers for the organization, but people are encouraged to donate gifts online. One hundred percent of the money donated goes directly to the birthday parties. To volunteer, you can go online to see the openings available, submit your information for a background check, and sign up.

Vote now for the Birthday Party Project — or any of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge.

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Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty supports the vision of the Birthday Party Project, which is committed to bringing joy to children in shelters throughout Dallas.

The Birthday Party Project partners with Dallas shelters to throw parties for kids who may not otherwise get one.

Little girl with cupcake at Birthday Party Project

The Birthday Party Project Facebook

The Birthday Party Project partners with Dallas shelters to throw parties for kids who may not otherwise get one.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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