SAN BENITO — Not all birthdays involve receiving presents.
The Boys and Girls Club of San Benito board president Liz Chavez is donating her birthday.
People urging others to donate to charity in lieu of gifts on their birthdays is becoming more and more popular among social media.
The fundraiser was launched Wednesday on Facebook and has since raised more than $500.
“I am a product of the club and wish to continue giving others the chance to experience what I experienced,” the Facebook page reads.
Chavez came onto the board last April and credits some of her success to her time at the Boys and Girls Club.
Chavez said the club has a history of having financial issues and when she joined the board, she saw how much help the club needed.
“I’m going to stay on until I get it to where it should be,” Chavez said.
With Chavez’s birthday coming up, she had been receiving notifications from Facebook about finding ways to donate and give back to the community.
She soon set up the fundraiser with a goal of $250 that was met within six hours.
“I have good friends, a good network and a good family,” Chavez said.
She has raised her goal three times in increments of $250 every time the goal is met.
Chavez said the money is going to be used to start a gymnasium fund for the club.
The board had discussed completing a full gym renovation with new floors, new equipment and a scoreboard.
“We want to get it to a nice gym standard,” Chavez said.
Chavez said the board discussed waiting until next year to make fundraising for the gym the board’s main focus.
“I thought, why wait until next year,” Chavez said. “Let’s see what I can get now.”
Chavez said she had seen people donate their birthdays and raise money for causes they cared about on social media.
Instead of opting to receive gifts, Chavez decided to ask her friends and family to contribute to her cause.
The fundraiser will continue for two weeks and end on Oct. 1, Chavez’s birthday.
Want to donate?
Visit https://www.facebook.com/donate/821454384673260/1940623249297513/
