Woman Celebrates Her 30th Birthday By Throwing Party For 130 Abused & Neglected Children

Feb 18, 2019 by apost team

When you celebrate your 30th birthday, you are celebrating a huge milestone for sure.

It is a day to be remembered, and why not? Going from your 20s into your 30s is definitely a time to be celebrated.

For one Texan, her biggest birthday plans were about to come true as she decided how she would commemorate the big day.

Amanda Rico told KSAT-TV that she decided to make a Pinterest board of all of the things she was eager to do. She wanted a birthday cake and singing mariachis. She wanted friends and family to celebrate with her. Yes, she had big dreams for her day indeed.

However, when Rico read “Light Up the Darkness” to her kids one night, she decided she had found a new way to celebrate her birthday that was a bit unconventional.

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Rico said the book is about a young blind boy, set at the Nativity scene in Bethlehem. The little boy related to Mary and Joseph, as he did not have a birthday or anyone to celebrate with- the same as when Jesus was born.

This was when Rico decided she wanted to change up her party. Instead of organizing her own party, she decided to have one for the kids who never knew just what it was like to celebrate their special day.

It began with just an idea for a cake, a simple approach. However, Rico said that it blew up from there. While it was a little bit difficult to get the idea off the ground, she gained traction after putting it all out there on social media. She was able to encourage many volunteers and vendors to pitch in.

'I was fighting it, but I thought "Alright, God, if you are telling me to do this, then I am going to do this."' 

She whole-heartedly believed that this party was something God wanted her to do. She decided to stay hopeful and faithful, and it paid off in the end. She ended up providing so much for kids who had very little in their lives.

Rico got in contact with Bryan Boyd, the man who had helped her organize her own wedding reception. He assisted her in finding caterers and other vendors who would help make the idea a success.

Rico held the party at the biggest facility in all of San Antonio, St. PJ’s Children’s Home. The event was a complete surprise for the 130 kids who attended. A GoFundMe campaign was launched by Rico, which ended up raising more than $1,000. The money turned out to be enough to buy clothes and other supplies for the kids in need.

Rico shared her amazing story on Facebook through photos and videos. She wrote that she believes that God always puts people in your path for a reason, such as Bryan Boyd.

She went on to say that he helped to make the event better than anything she could ever have imagined. She also thanked her many volunteers for all of the help they provided for free.

Jonathan Rico, her husband, also shared on Facebook just how proud he was of his wonderful, thoughtful wife. He stated that she is a great example of what can happen when you open your heart to help the less fortunate.

Are you ready to watch the video of the festivities? Click below and get out the tissues!

We hope that Amanda Rico had a wonderful birthday and that her 30th year will be full of blessings. We know that her party has already been a blessing to those less fortunate among us!

What did you think of this wonderful woman? Leave us a comment and then pass this along to others who would love to hear such an amazing story!