BUCHANAN, Va. – Gavin Price of Buchanan hoped to help the hungry with his 8th birthday party this weekend, but no one showed up.
After the no-show, Gavin was surprised with another party in town Friday night, that included a gift from his favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I hope he remembers it all,” said Gavin’s father, Bill Price. “Not just the good part, but the bad part.”
Gavin’s father said his son originally didn’t want a birthday party but decided to have one in order to collect jars of peanut butter for the hungry.
“He told me, 'I don’t need any other presents, I think we should just help out the other kids in the school,” Bill Price said. “It was hard Sunday watching him watch the door as time ticked on with nobody coming.”
The Prices planned to sing Christmas carols through the streets of Buchanan Friday night, but the organizer of that event, Lois Fritz, decided to do something special for Gavin once she heard about how his birthday party went.
“I flashed back to my own little girl childhood trauma and thought, ‘No one came? How could that be?’" Fritz said. "I asked for birthday cards and for people in the community to come, and they all came.”
The second party was standing room only, and many attendees donated more peanut butter to help Gavin’s cause. The Philadelphia Eagles’ owners heard about Gavin’s cause as well, and sent him a special surprise for the party.
The Eagles invited Gavin and his family to a game of his choice in Philadelphia next year, which will include meeting the players and an offer to watch from the owners’ suite.
“It makes it that much more special that we’re Eagles fans, to know that they care not only about what’s on the field, but about people who make a difference in their communities, no matter where they are,” Bill Price said.
Even though Gavin received a plethora of gifts from around the nation following his birthday no-show, his parents said the most amazing thing is seeing how selfless and caring their son is.
“I’ve told him before, ‘Don’t try to change the world, just try to change the little area where you live,’" Bill Price said. "Try to change your little town and make it better than when you found it.”