Bright Blessings Brightens the Days of Many Children in Need

Bright Blessings is a volunteer-led organization that serves homeless and impoverished children. Since its beginning, the organization has touched the lives of more than 180,000 individuals through its four core programs: Bless-A-Birthday, Bless-A-Baby, Gift of Literacy, and Gift of Care.  

Amy and John Cervantes founded the organization as a monthly birthday program for children staying at the Salvation Army Center of Hope. Each month, the couple would throw birthday celebrations for hundreds of children at the center, and over the years, added educational and enrichment activities to their programs. Bright Blessings was officially incorporated in 2008 with a mission of providing joy, care, and hope to children in need by mobilizing community volunteers of all ages. 

In September, the TowneBank team in Charlotte partnered with Bright Blessings as part of our annual Day of Caring, a company-wide effort that serves local nonprofits through volunteerism.  Forty volunteers helped wrap presents for the Bless-A-Birthday program, which sends a message of joy and positive recognition on each child’s special day that may otherwise go unnoticed. Volunteers also assembled kits for the Gift of Literacy program that supports reading skills by supplying educational supplies to more than 1,000 local children each year.

The TowneBank Charlotte team partnered with Bright Blessings during the annual United Way Day of Caring. Forty volunteers helped wrap presents for the Bless-A-Birthday program for children who may not get recognition on their birthdays.

“It was wonderful to bring our Towne family together in support of such an amazing cause,” says Salley Griffith, senior vice president and private banker at TowneBank. “Each one of us has a birthday, and it really resonates to think about a child who may otherwise not be celebrated if it weren’t for the work of Bright Blessings. We had a great time being together and helping an organization that does so much to combat the effects of poverty for children across greater Charlotte.” 

Bright Blessings’s Bless-A-Baby program provides support to moms having babies being born into homeless and impoverished situations. Each baby bag has items like feeding supplies, critical healthcare items, diapers and wipes, clothing, and educational items. The Gift of Care program provides snack packs, hygiene kits, and comfort items like blankets and stuffed animals to unhoused children and those in transient living situations. 

TowneBank is a longtime supporter of Day of Caring, a national event through the United Way that collaborates with volunteers, advocates, and donors across 1,100 communities. In the fall of 2023, TowneBank helped coordinate and recruit volunteers to serve 14 nonprofit agencies across our footprint in North Carolina and Virginia.  

TowneBank applauds Bright Blessings for the work they do to not only address the impact of poverty but to provide joy, care & hope to children in need.  

To learn more about Bright Blessings, visit BrightBlessingsUSA.org.