Mums create a Facebook group to find party guests for lonely kids with autism

We’ve all heard the heartbreaking stories of kids who don’t get a single guest at their birthday parties — now a mums’ group has formed to fix the problem

• Exclusive: Free IVF
• ‘Look for symptoms’: Aussie measles alert
• Plans to revitalise North Sydney as Metro comes to town
• One in five unit sellers lost money

When there’s no one to pass the parcel to and no chorus to sing Happy Birthday, a new mothers’ group is only one call away.

A group of NSW mums has cre­ated Kids Party Rescue in a bid to help children, often those who are living with autism or dissociative disorders, celebrate childhood milestones.

Coffs Harbour mother Helen Duy has used the service a number of times to help her special needs son Zavier, who struggles to make friends at school, celebrate his birthday.

“Every year I organise a party for my son and invite a whole bunch of people and hire an indoor playground and pay a lot of money and nobody rocks up,” Ms Duy said. “It happens all the time. I posted on Kids Party Rescue and got a response from a lady who lives 20km away from me and she said she was happy to drop by with her son. That meant we had three kids at his party and he was so incredibly happy,” she said.

“Zavier isn’t into presents or cake. He just cares about having other kids to play with.”

Ms Duy said it’s common practice for parents to fail to RSVP and wants them to know the impact it can have on a child eagerly counting down the days to their party.

Co-founder of the Facebook group Tahlee Masri said hundreds of worried parents have used her page.

Kristy-Lee Williams and her kids Levi, 3, and Ellie, 2, and Nora, 12 weeks, are part of Kids Party Rescue which is a group of families that open their homes for kids to join parties. Picture: David Swift.

“We saw a story online where a mum was upset because no one had turned up to her child’s birthday party and we thought, ‘You know what? There should be a Facebook page where you can invite other children to your kids’ party,’ ” Masri said.

“(Often a) child might be on the spectrum and it is hard for them to make friends in the classroom. Sometimes there’s no family around or the mum is too busy and they don’t have time to make friends. I have a big family and we have big parties with 100-plus people, so it doesn’t bother me to invite someone who doesn’t get invited to parties into my home.”

Mother-of-three Kristy Lee Williams has offered her home to the Facebook group. “I post on the group to ask kids who don’t get out or invi­ted to parties much, to come along to my kids’ parties,” Ms Lee said.

“My son is in daycare and there have been a few parties and he hasn’t been invited to any of them, so I know how some of these parents feel.

“We have had a lot of random kids come to our parties. It makes their day. They always leave with the biggest smile on their faces.”