Meet Amy Cohen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Cohen.

Hi Amy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was very fortunate growing up to always have fun, elaborate birthday celebrations to look forward to. I remember picking themes, invitations, decorations and being so excited to feel special surrounded by friends and family. I am so grateful that my family had the resources to create birthday magic for me and my siblings. It’s so important to me now to try to pass that feeling to as many kids as possible, who maybe haven’t had a chance to feel that “special kind of birthday” importance before.

I’ve always had a passion for giving back to my local community. I created affinity groups at previous jobs based around a common interest in community service and have always spent my free time volunteering with various organizations. I wanted to find something that filled an important need in the greater Phoenix area. I happened across Box of Balloons in an online search, and that’s all it took. I loved that Box of Balloons has chapters around the country & has created a community that can share tips & best practices. The Phoenix chapter is important because there are so many children in Arizona that can benefit from feeling special, important and celebrated on their birthday.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think so far, we’ve had a unique and amazing challenge in that I didn’t anticipate that there would be such a need to fill here. I started this with the goal of filling 25 boxes in 2021… We’ve been going for a month and a half and have already completed 31 boxes just for April & May birthday kids. I just know there are so many children here that we can serve and it makes me excited (& nervous) to scale as big as we can to serve every person possible.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Box of Balloons is a completely volunteer-led 501c3. We serve underserved youth in our community & provide them a birthday party in a box on their special day. But the box is more than that. It’s about making sure these kids feel important, celebrated, and hopeful. Our goal is to make sure they feel cherished and also to empower their parents to provide for them something they may not ordinarily be able to. Everyone deserves to feel like a king or queen for a day, and our goal is to provide that opportunity to as many children as possible in our local community.

I work full-time as a sales director for a startup called NimbleRx. We provide technology & on-demand delivery options for local, marketplace pharmacies to serve their patients in a delivery-centric world. It’s incredibly fulfilling work, especially right now. On the side, I run the Box of Balloons chapter here in Phoenix. We create birthday boxes for children in need in our community. These boxes are filled with party decor, tableware, party games, personalized gifts & party favors to create a true birthday party. We receive nominations from local non-profits, community leaders, social workers and teachers who recommend children ages 1-12 who could benefit from receiving a birthday box. For some kids, the birthday box is a special opportunity to celebrate their birthday this way for the first time!  We are a completely volunteer-led organization, and I’m so proud of the amount of community members stepping up to be volunteers with us. The generosity of some of these volunteers has truly led me to tears, and it’s a special thing to be connected to such wonderful people in Phoenix.

How do you think about happiness?
My husband, my dog and my friends & family make me happy on a daily basis. I have never felt more fulfilled than working with Box of Balloons. The amount that people are willing to give to us, just in hopes of bringing a smile to a kid’s face, is overwhelming. I’m so happy we can make an impact locally with something so seemingly simple.

Contact Info:

• Email: boxofballoons.phoenixaz@gmail.com
• Website: www.boxofballoons.org/arizona
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/boxofballoons_phx
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BOBPhoenixArea