OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – For some children, a birthday comes and goes with no cake, no candles and no celebration. Meegan Vellek is determined to change that.
Vellek launched Project Surprise Party in October of 2024, delivering children’s birthday packages to families who are facing hardship.
“Working in foster care and just other nonprofit organizations, I just became aware that’s a day that everybody should be celebrated,” said Vellek, the organization’s founder.
How the program works
The nonprofit’s mission is to make sure every child in the area can experience their birthday, no matter their family’s circumstances. Oftentimes, it’s a financial or medical hardship.
Vellek shops for gifts at Omaha stores, like Fat Brain Toys, to buy a gift for the special child in need. Each birthday package includes a gift, a brand new book, a birthday card, balloons, candles, a baked birthday cake purchased through Family Fare, along with plates, forks and napkins…