Giving back with a birthday party

A birthday party doesn't always have to be about the guest of honor. Instead, some young people are opting to focus their party planning on giving back to the community and making a difference.

For example, Dakota Austad of St Cloud, Minnesota decided to turn her Sweet 16 party into a community fundraiser for a local women and children's charity.

The teenager told the St Cloud Times she decided to celebrate the milestone a bit differently as a reaction against over-the-top parties featured on the MTV show My Super Sweet 16.

"I wanted to give back," explained Austad, who organized a schedule of events ranging from a motorcycle rally to a softball tournament, all to raise money for her chosen cause.

But you don't have to organize a full-blown charity event to help your child endow their party with a similar sense of giving.

One idea is to incorporate a volunteer activity into the party, so that guests spend an hour working at a soup kitchen, taking care of animals at a shelter or cleaning up a local park.

Alternatively, have kids create crafts - such as simple jewelry or painted photo frames - to help brighten up the day of sick children in the hospital or nursing home residents.

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