Red Panda Birthday Wrap-Up

Thank you to everyone for an amazing red panda birthday! I had a wonderful time celebrating by making cookies for my coworkers, hosting a giveaway along with donation matching, and pledging my birthday gifts to the red pandas. I am grateful to my friends and family for supporting me in my goal and for kindly sending checks instead of presents. I had a wonderful time — no pile of gifts necessary.

Recipe: Red Panda Cookies

The traditional cake and candles has been replaced by something much cuter this year: red panda cookies! I challenged myself to find a red panda cookie cutter (a repurposed cat head cookie cutter) and a simple way to decorate dozens of treats (Red Panda Network logo). For what purpose? Building awareness for red pandas, of course!

If you haven't heard, I pledged my birthday to the Red Panda Network and wanted to do something special to celebrate. After all, it's not every birthday that you turn a quarter of a century old! I can't wait to share these with my coworkers tomorrow and hope they enjoy having a special treat on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday. Stay tuned for an update and read on for the recipe!

Click the "Print Friendly" button below for a printable or PDF version.

Red Panda Giveaway!

Image: Sander Van Der Wel via Flickr

There are just 10 days left until my red panda birthday! I invite you to join the party, make a donation, and get rewarded:

• You do not have to donate to win!
• I will give away one plush red panda for every ten people who donate $1 or more to the Red Panda Network
• Email redpandas (at) kaylinjohnson (dot) com with your donation amount by 12:01 AM CST May 1st and I will match your donation 100%*
• These promotions are in addition to the wonderful gifts you can get by donating, such as the Red Panda Network eco-friendly tee!

If you donate, enter by leaving a comment through the giveaway widget below. Those who are unable to donate can still earn entries by sharing this post with others up to once per day!

That's it! Look for a post in early May with an update and pictures of my homemade vegan red panda sugar cookies.

UPDATE: The giveaway has ended. Congratulations to our lucky winner!

*Applies to emails received from 4/20/12 to 5/1/12 at 11:59 PM CST. Matching will occur up to a donation limit of $1000. But please feel free to give as much as you'd like!

A Birthday Pledge

Admiring my mother's wonderful homemade cake

I've been extremely fortunate to have had many wonderful birthdays. I have always been surrounded by friends, family, or both. Birthday parties didn't have to be expensive to be fun — my clever parents taught me how to find wonderful and creative ways to celebrate. I'll never forget racing around the house to find the clue in the treasure hunt, or the spy-themed party where my dad booby-trapped a room with red thread "lasers."

Yet none of these memories needed presents to be fun.

Image: ming1967 via Flickr

Don't get me wrong - I've loved and cherished every birthday gift, every kind wish and considerate phone call. But there comes a time when you realize how fortunate you truly are compared to others in the world. And the idea of asking for birthday presents just doesn't seem right, when there are so many worthy causes that need our help.

Inspired by the "Pledge My Birthday" campaign at Charity: Water, I've decided to pledge my birthday to the Red Panda Network. This means that, instead of birthday gifts, I'm asking anyone who wishes to give me a gift to instead help me donate to the Red Panda Network. Red pandas are in jeopardy, and it breaks my heart to imagine a day when our children will know them as relics of the past.