Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Jill Sperling

Happy Birthday Charlie

Gifts, cards pour in from around the world for Kamloops girl’s birthday

Aug 13, 2020 | 4:01 PM

KAMLOOPS — Surrounded by gift wrap and brightly coloured cards and envelopes, Charlie is beaming. It’s her sixth birthday, a celebration she was supposed to be sharing with family from the U.S.

“We would either go down to Idaho or her aunt and family would come up from Idaho to help celebrate the birthday,” said Charlie’s grandfather Ray Manning.

With the borders closed due to COVID-19, an in-person reunion with family was not possible. But, Charlie’s aunt, Rebecca Hochberg, was determined to do something special for her niece.

“When I figured out we really couldn’t get out there, because I kept hoping the border would open, I decided to go online and ask people for help, just to send cards and just to make her smile,” Hochberg said. “But, people went above and beyond. They sent packages, they made cards, they sent gifts inside the cards and it snowballed into something crazy.”

Question of the Week

Is returning to a balanced budget one of your BC election priorities?

Oct 07, 2024

BC Votes

B.C. Election 2024: Where to go, how to register ahead of advance voting

Oct 07, 2024

Week in Review

Week in Review: Week of Sept. 30

Oct 05, 2024

As of the morning of her birthday (Aug. 13), Charlie had received more than 170 cards and 15 packages from all over the world.

“Dublin, Ireland; Australia, Comox, New York, Clearwater, Edmonton, Mississauga, Ottawa — all over the place,” said Manning.

Hochberg, who watches via FaceTime, delights in Charlie’s increasing enthusiasm with each new gift.

“She’s so animated, she loves everything,” she said. “She’s always like, ‘aah’ and ‘ooh.’ It’s so fun, I just wish I could have been there, you know. It’s hard not being there. This is the first birthday I’ve had to miss.”

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

While Charlie couldn’t have all of her loved ones around to celebrate, she certainly was loved on her birthday.

“With everything going on in the world right now, it’s nice to see a little bit of sunshine,” said Manning.

“You always turn on the news and it’s negative this and negative that,” Hochberg said, “but to know that these people are out there it warms your heart knowing the kindness of strangers.”