There's going to be one large party in Montebello Park next weekend. An Unbirthday Party.

The party is aimed at children who have trouble making friends.

It's the brainchild of Nicole Callander of Brantford, who held the first one last summer after asking friends and family via social media to send her daughter, who has special needs and has trouble making friends, birthday cards. Her goal was to get 100 cards but the post went viral and she's received more than 5,000 cards — and they're still coming.

With the cards, Callander also received messages from parents whose children also struggle to make friends. She wanted to do something to help, and the Unbirthday Party was born.

"Last year I held a birthday party to include all these kids from the messages I was receiving and it was such a hit," said Callander. "I had over 200 kids come from all over Ontario and the United States. We saw this need that we needed to celebrate children that aren't celebrated so we started Friends 4 Kindness and we are hosting four birthday parties across Ontario so we could reach as many kids as possible."

Friends 4 Kindness is hosting four Unbirthday Parties across Ontario this year: Brantford, Belleville, Ottawa and St. Catharines.

Katherine Hunt is organizing St. Catharines' first Unbirthday Party.

The party is scheduled for Sunday from noon until 4 p.m. in Montebello Park. The event is completely free, but in order to receive a loot bag children must be registered on Eventbrite. Currently there are more than 200 kids registered so there is already a waitlist for the loot bags, but anyone can show up.

The party will include large lawn games, a show by Mad Science at 2:45 p.m., Fluffy the Clown will be there from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m., Bones the Niagara IceDogs mascot will be there at 2 p.m. and Duncan the River Lion will be there at 12:30 p.m. There will also be a sensory area compliments of Jai Yoga where kids can go to calm down and relax if they are getting over-stimulated and give parents a chance to breaths.

Callander recalled a story of two girls who met at last year's event in Brantford.

"Her mother messaged me and said, 'My daughter is having her very first sleepover, and she's 15 years old, because of someone she met at the Unbirthday Party," she said.

"I get hundreds of messages. They are all heartwarming. They are from parents whose kids are struggling," said Callander. "A lot of parents themselves have enjoyed the environment because they don't feel judged by the behaviours of how their children were acting."

The party is mostly community supported, with the large majority of entertainment and baked goods being donated from the community. To make up the rest, Callander holds a Kindness Ball in Hamilton early in the year.

"We also have card writing chapters across Canada and we mail the Unbirthday kids birthday cards on their actual birthday month so they feel loved on their birthday as well."

Each person writes about 10 cards which they purchase and mail out.

"Next year we are hoping to do more parties. This year we have four and next year we are hoping to do six across Ontario," said Callander. "We are definitely going to make it an annual thing."

For more information or to get involved, visit the Facebook page Friends 4 Kindness or visit www.friends4kindness.ca.

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Julie.Jocsak@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1631 | @JJ_Standard