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Mikayla Greene stands with some of the gift donations she was given at her party. (SUBMITTED)

Staff and stakeholders of Macdonald Youth Services might have thought it was their birthday when they heard about the fundraising plan of one Winnipeg teenager.

But it was, in fact, Mikayla Greene’s own birthday celebration that raised more than $1,000 for the Fort Rouge-based organization that offers placement and support services for Winnipeg families and individuals.

On June 6, the Gray Academy of Jewish Education student held a 14th birthday party at Valour Community Centre’s Clifton site after she decided she wanted to help make a difference in her community by giving something back.

In the end, approximately 120 people showed up to show their support and help Greene raise $1,074, some of which came from silent auctions.

The money Greene raised will not only benefit MYS’ youth emergency shelter by contributing to the budget for food and hygiene items, but also an organization that helps underprivileged children in Kenya called K.I.D.S Foundation.

"It really started off as a small party and then it just took on a life of its own," said Greene’s mother, Annette. "And then it became a case of the more, the merrier."

When Greene found out about the services offered by MYS, which include a youth emergency crisis stabilization system for at-risk children, she took a look at her own life and her sense of personal responsibility.

"Since I have so much in my life and so many people who have helped me along the way, I wanted to give something back to the community," said Greene, who lives in the Minto area close to Polo Park Shopping Centre.

"On a moral level, I was driven to do something to help."

According to Annette, this is Greene’s third fundraising birthday party.

"When she was eight or nine, in lieu of personal gifts, Mikayla asked guests to bring toys, which she then donated to the Children’s Hospital," Annette said.

"And when she was 10, she had guests all bring books, which she then gave to her school library."

Greene, who will be attending Daniel McIntyre Collegiate in September, also hopes her fundraising fervour will prompt other Winnipeg teens to follow her example.

"Another reason to do this kind of party is to inspire other students to do the same. If I can do it, others can do it. Hopefully this will create a snowball effect and gain some fundraising momentum," she said.

The MYS’s manager of external relations says Greene should be applauded for her efforts.

"The type of thing that Mikayla did has huge implications for the agency, as it stands to impact close to 4,000 youth," said Sean Crawford.

"Anytime we get contributions like this, we can steer our budget toward other resources." 

In other funding-related news, MYS recently received money for money from the Manitoba Housing and Community Development – Community Places Program.

This support will be used for renovations to four of the Mayfair Avenue-based organization’s community-based homes dealing with specialized placements. These homes range from transition to treatment homes.

For more information about MYS, visit www.mys.mb.ca.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com