PCMA, Beverly’s Birthdays Giving Back at Convening Leaders 2019

Moms-to-be and volunteers celebrate at a Beverly’s Birthdays baby shower — part of its Itty Bitty Birthday Cheer program.

PCMA is teaming up with charity partner Beverly’s Birthdays for a day of service at Convening Leaders 2019 to support children and families in the Pittsburgh region.

Beverly’s Birthdays, which was founded in 2011 by Megs Yunn, provides children in need with birthday cheer by hosting parties for them, providing gifts, or providing supplies for a birthday party of their own. The organization also helps expectant mothers celebrate their child’s “birth” day by creating special newborn-essentials packages for the Itty Bitty Birthday Cheer program.

PCMA and Convening Leaders attendees who registered for the project will create special newborn-essentials packages for moms-to-be through the Beverly’s Birthdays organization.

Through its Hospitality Helping Hands initiative, PCMA and its registered attendees hope to assemble 200 of these kits filled with the essentials for caring for a newborn. The kits will be distributed to mothers-to-be during a special group baby shower.

“PCMA believes in the power of bringing people together for good, and always seeks to give back to local communities where we meet,” Stacey Shafer, senior director of operations at PCMA Foundation, told Convene. “Giving back is one of our core values.”

The mission of Beverly’s Birthdays — to help homeless families — also aligns with PCMA Convene’s recent examination of how the business events industry is responding to homelessness.

PCMA purchased the project supplies and also is donating $10,000 to Beverly’s Birthdays. Experient, GES, and Marriott International are sponsoring the project, along with local sponsors for the baby shower that will follow the kit assembly.

“We’re excited to support families in the area by helping moms in need by providing them with useful items for when their babies are born — and the experience of a baby shower,” Shafer said.

Convening Leaders attendees who have registered to take part in the project will meet the morning of Sunday, Jan. 6, at the Westin’s Pennsylvania Ballroom for breakfast and an opportunity to network. They will be bused off-site to Nova Place, which has donated space for attendees to create the newborn-essentials kits and to welcome some moms-to-be for the baby shower.

If you are attending Convening Leaders Jan. 6-9 and wish to participate, you still can register by emailing [email protected].

Go to the Convening Leaders site to see the full schedule of events, including the Hospitality Helping Hands project.