Khira Patel, FostaParty

FostaParty is a non-profit event planning service that provides free birthday parties for children in the foster care system. In high school, Khira Patel mentored a little girl who had been through the foster care system and was touched by her strength and resilience despite the adverse circumstances she had faced. This friendship is what sparked Khira’s passion to better the lives of foster children.

There are over 424,000 children in the foster care system on a given day who are less likely to have a positive childhood experience due to the traumatic nature of their upbringing. By throwing them a birthday party, we help these kids create positive memories and a knowingness that they are not a burden, but are loved and valued by the people around them.

When someone hires FostaParty to plan their child’s birthday, the profits from the event provide a free party for a child in the foster care system. Through our one-for-one model, we help families not only have fun, stress-free events, but also extend their goodwill and bridge the gap between two disparate communities. We imagine a world in which all children have the opportunity to have a positive childhood experience. FostaParty does that by throwing events that celebrate life, connect communities, and cherish memories.