GREETINGS FROM THE BEVERLY’S BIRTHDAYS TEAM
It’s never a dull moment in the Land of Birthday Cheer and we are thrilled to introduce everyone to our newest staff member, KATE LIVINGSTON! Kate is joining Beverly’s Birthdays as Program/Agency Relations Manager. She is an absolute joy and we are lucky to have her!
Like all good teams, we made sure to welcome Kate to the office with some staff ice breakers. we first decided to analyze and specify what each of our office spirit animals are. Just so you are all caught up, the results were as follows:
MEGS YUNN – GENERAL DIRECTOR – MEERKAT
Megs, much like Timone from Disney’s Classic, “The Lion King”, is a highly energetic, feisty, determined and caring individual. Always on the move and doing good, she resembles the characteristics of a Meerkat. The Meerkat is also known to be a very protective animal. With two little ones and a third on the way, Megs’ beautiful and motherly demeanor greatly resembles that of the Meerkat. Megs insists that the Meerkat is an ugly animal, but we think they are pretty adorable. Look at that hug!
JOSH WHITESIDE – DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT – OTTER
If the picture doesn’t say it, I don’t know what does. Otters are known to be full of positive energy. They are super popular, lovable and display highly developed social skills. Otters also mix easily with a wide range of animal personalities (working with a team of ladies, this trait is needed). Anyone that knows Josh knows that he is the definition of “MR. PERSONALITY”. The characteristics of an otter fit him perfectly, and we are glad to have him around!
MARTINA CARUSO – PROGRAM/VOLUNTEER MANAGER – PEACOACK
Many people think Martina is reserved upon first meeting her. It’s true, Martina has an introverted personality. A true performer at heart however, when put in her element, Martina opens her feathers to reveal her vivacious colors and skills. This comes out most when she is in her comfort zone and she LOVES to share it with the children at the parties she leads.
KATE LIVINGSTON – PROGRAM/AGENCY RELATIONS MANAGER – DOLPHIN
Kate has had no reservations jumping right into the daily routine of Program Manager! Dolphins are said to be at their best helping others to achieve their goals. They are unassuming and dedicated to their cause and derive great satisfaction, fostering greatness in others. Kate brings out happiness in others the moment she steps into the room. Her loving dolphin-personality is just what we needed on our team!
TRACY MONGELUZZO – FINANCE MANAGER – OWL
Since her first day at Beverly’s Birthdays, Tracy has been an ever-calming force in the office. The owl is the most tranquil of of the bird personalities. They are creatures of great integrity, wisdom and intelligence. Tracy is all of these things and more! Owls are not without their assertive side however. They won’t hesitate to use their sassy personality. This comes out in Tracy at the best moments. We would be in trouble without our office owl!
It’s always fun to be a little silly in the office and we thoroughly believe we have a very well rounded team of animals!
The SECOND ice breaker we did as an office team was to take on the challenge of BEAN BAMBOOZLED, a game we have started playing at our March birthday parties. It has been a huge hit thus far with the teens attending these parties! If you haven’t tried it yet, we DARE you to.
To play, you spin a dial to land on a jelly bean. This jelly bean could be absolutely delicious or absolutely disgusting (example: if you spin and land on a white jelly bean, it will either taste like coconut OR baby wipes). You don’t know what the flavor will be until it is actually in you mouth! As a staff, we each had a chance to test both the good and bad flavors. It was a hilarious team building experience. We definitely recommend you bring this to your kid-based parties or take it out at a family for game night.
Icebreakers aside, The Beverly’s Birthdays team is excited to jump into the Spring Birthday Season. We look forward to sharing our individual talents and passions with the agencies and families we serve and hope you are equally excited to get involved!
FEBRUARY FESTIVITIES
February was DINOSAUR month in the land of cheer. It was definitely a winning theme. The children, both boys and girls, had a ball with the activities planned. The most popular activity we lead was our Dino Safari Hunt. For this, we passed out plain safari hats that the children could decorate with dinosaur foam stickers. The kids got extremely creative and were anxious to put their hats to use:
Once the hats were complete, we brought the children to the floor to read “How do Dinosaurs say Happy Birthday?” by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. This got everyone settled and prepared to go on their Safari Scavenger Hunt. Prior to the party, we hid dinosaur fossil eggs throughout the room and gave the children 2 minutes to collect as many eggs as possible. They had a blast, sporting their individualized dino hats, and hunting for the fossil eggs. Even the older kids got excited as they tried to spot the vibrant eggs hidden throughout the room.
Other activities we lead at the February Dinosaur Parties included:
- Dino Bingo
- Dino Egg Races
- Setting the Scene: Dino Stampers and coloring
- Vibrant Dino scratch ornaments
- Act like a Dino games and MORE
