Jul 31, 2007-- At Gavin Brown’s 4th birthday party, there were 44 guests and an elaborate ice cream cake adorned with a fire truck. Glenn Johnson lifted his daughter Mia, 3, up to drop money into a donation box. But the only gift in sight was a little red Matchbox hook and ladder rig. All the bounty from Gavin’s birthday — $240 in checks and cash collected in a red box next to a plastic fire helmet — went to the Cranford Fire Department. This New York Times article explores the inspiring gifts of service approach that is starting to become a trend at children's parties. (3650 reads)