Throwing a kid’s birthday party can be a chaotic experience. Planning activities and crafts to keep the kids busy is overwhelming. Buying enough food, drinks, and cake for the entire group isn’t cheap. And making sure your child ends up happy at the end of the day is every parent’s first priority. But for one mother in Alabama, planning her daughter’s 13th birthday was even more chaotic than normal.
Due to her daughter’s autism, party planning was getting pretty tricky.
But when a local bakery found out about Kim Kirkpatrick’s quest to give her daughter Amy a great birthday, they decided to do much more than just supply the cake.
Kirkpatrick contacted Savage’s Bakery in Homewood, Alabama, in August of 2018 to order Amy’s cake — something with a ton of colorful flowers, and if possible, chickens. Amy had grown up on a farm and had a thing for chickens.
While Savage’s co-owner Elizabeth Scott took down notes for the cake, Kirkpatrick began to tell Scott about her previous attempt to throw Amy a birthday party.
Scott couldn’t help but feel for the family.
The story made Scott want to do something special for the mother and daughter.
Scott told Over The Mountain Journal in 2018:
“I was helping her on the phone, and she mentioned her daughter, Amy, was 13 and loved flowers and had never had a birthday party.”
According to EternallySunny.com, Kirkpatrick had tried to throw Amy a party one other time.
Sadly, after all the planning, no one from’s Amy’s class showed up to the celebration.
Of course, Amy was devastated.
From that point on, Kirkpatrick has been afraid to attempt to throw another party, fearing the same thing would happen.
But with Amy becoming a teenager, Kirkpatrick decided it was time to try again.
It was time to party.
However, she knew the party would have to be unique because of Amy’s autism.
Individuals who are diagnosed with autism are more prone to sensory overload, meaning that loud noises, bright lights, and unfamiliar areas could make them feel uncomfortable and incite a negative reaction.
Kirkpatrick told Scott about her worries for this party.
And Scott felt compelled to take action.
“They didn’t have a lot of family or friends that might be able to come,” Scott told OTMJ. “But I told her not to worry. We would make it extra special.”
And that they did.
And then the big day arrived.
On Amy’s birthday, she and her mother drove to Savage’s to pick up her cake.
Or so they thought. When they finally arrived at the bakery, they saw a bounce house set up outside, alongside lawn games like corn hole. And there were guests galore.
It looked more like a street fair than a birthday party!
And all the kids were there to see Amy.
Scott had come up with an amazing idea.
Scott had shared an open invitation on Savage’s Facebook page inviting anyone an everyone to join in the celebration the day before Kirkpatrick and Amy were slated to arrive to pick up the cake.
Absolute genius!
Scott even baked more than just a birthday cake.
The August 3rd post read:
“YOU’RE INVITED!!…We’re celebrating the FIRST birthday party for an amazing 13 year old — Amy — who is uniquely and wonderfully made created with autism, has a beautiful and bright spirit, and a love of all things every teenager loves!”
And it got even better.
“Yes…You heard us right…”
The post continued: “Her very First birthday party ever. And we’re making it extra special with cookies, a cake covered in flowers, and so much more! Stop in to see Amy and enjoy some treats with us as we celebrate her special day!”
In just a single day, Scott was able to round up a massive guest list for Amy’s party.
And Scott even brought in backup.
Scott contacted Kulturecity.
Kulturecity is an Alabama-based nonprofit dedicated to making events and public areas more accommodating to those with autism. They were actually the ones to supply the party with the bounce house and lawn games, and their Sensory Activation Vehicle.
Uhm, amazing!
Kulturecity decked out their Sensory Activation Vehicle.
It was the *perfect* place for Amy to hang with her pals.
(That’s Amy on the left.)
Guests arrived with tons of gifts for the 13 year old.
Scott told OTMJ:
“Just through reaching out to the community, it’s been really great to see… We’ve had people walk in and just drop off gifts out of nowhere and see what was happening and go next door to our neighbors, Jack and Jill and Sikes, and buy gifts and bring them for her.”
“So, it’s really been more than we ever thought it would be.”
The entire day was incredibly special.
And something Amy and her mother will never forget.
Kirkpatrick told OTMJ:
“It’s hard to get autism kids in with regular kids during playtime… So this is Amy’s first birthday party that she’s actually been invited to…She doesn’t have any friends, except she has some that she talks to at school, but that’s it.”
Judging by the number of kids who showed up, it looks like that has changed.
Other autistic children from the area also joined the fun.
Not only was Amy not alone on her birthday, but she was also surrounded by kids who understood her.
According to OTMJ, parents from all over the state brought their children with autism to Amy’s autism-friendly party, because hey, it’s not every day that parties are thrown specifically to be accommodating to those with autism.
And, yes, Amy even got her chicken.
That and her flower power cake.
That plush chicken toy — that clucked when squeezed — Amy received from Scott may have just been the best part of the entire day.
To say Amy’s birthday party was a success would be an understatement.
“It’s her first birthday, and she’s a teenager…”
Scott told OTMJ, “It’s kind of embarking on a really special time in her life… And from here on out, if she wants to have a party here every year for forever, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Scott is more than open to keeping this tradition alive.
If only everyone in the world thought this way. We’d literally be living in heaven.
“[Savage’s has] been a family business, and that’s really what we’re all about, community and family,” she continued. “If we can do little things like this every once in a while, then it really makes what we do all the more special and rewarding.”
Now, only one question remains:
Can we be invited to Amy’s next birthday party?
