Party will show ‘people care’
A Christchurch charity hopes a local boy will feel ‘‘overwhelmed with love’’ when he gets to enjoy his fifth birthday with a crowd of new friends.
Preparations are well under way for Jonty Payne’s birthday party in Christchurch Botanic Gardens this weekend.
Donna Payne was worried her grandson would have no friends at his birthday party – until charity SmileDial stepped in to help.
Founder of the charity for special needs childrenKelly Dugan said he has been swamped with generous offers from the community since first publicising the event.
‘‘[Jonty] is always a regular attendee at our events so that’s why I thought why should a 5-yearold not have a party?’’
Donna and Shane Payne have been Jonty’s full-time carers since he was 2-weeks-old.
Born with congenital scoliosis, Jonty has had two major surgeries in Auckland’s Starship Hospital to insert two rods in to his upper back .
The first procedure, when he was aged 3, took eight hours and resulted in his lung collapsing.
‘‘It was actually touch and go there but he pulled through, he’s always been a fighter,’’ Donna Payne said.
Learning and behavioural difficulties had made it hard for Jonty to make friends, she said.
Jonty’s birthday party will be held from 12pm to 2pm on Saturday.
It will include a special marquee for Jonty and his family, a two-tiered birthday cake and 100 Thomas the Tank Engine themed cup cakes, Dugan said.
Dugan encouraged people who wanted to help to come to the party to show Jonty ‘‘there are people who care’’.
‘‘They don’t need to bring gifts, they just need to come along . . . so when he gets wheeled in to the playground he gets overwhelmed with the love.’’
In the event of wet weather, the party will be postponed to Sunday, Dugan said.