This Calgary student throws birthday parties for kids worldwide

Sheliza Kassam loves a good birthday party, so much so that shethrows themfor underprivileged children around the world.

She started at 16years old, and now runsa registered non-profit called Children's Birthday Miracles.

"We throw monthly birthdays across the world for children living in either hospitals, homeless shelters or even families that have immigrated to Canada," Kassam told the Calgary Eyeopener Wednesday.

Recently the 21-year-old chemical engineering student was honoured for not only her academic achievements buther exceptional charitable work as well. She is thelatest recipient of the RonaHatt Chemical Engineering Award, which is given to one Canadian female chemical engineering student each year.

Her passion for birthday parties started at age 12, when she had an allergic reaction to her cake and ended up in the emergency room.

Her parents told her she was lucky to have had a birthday party as all, as many less fortunate children don't have the same opportunity.

That message stuck with hersoshe started volunteering in homeless shelters withsupport fromher mother, a social worker.

"I noticed there was a lot of detachment in these families, and I wanted to do something that would really bring them together," Kassam said.

She later started throwingbirthday parties informally, but was pushed to register her workas a charity on a trip to Toronto and the CanadianBusiness Hall of Fame.

Thereshe told another hall of fame visitor about her volunteering, and the man offered to sponsor her work if she registered properly.

'Huge, significant impact'

That man was George Cohon, a founder of McDonald's Canada. The fast food giant has supported the organization ever since.

"He's the kind of a guy that really inspired me to [say], 'You know what, I may be 15 years old but I can start something big.' And since that day, I've never really doubted myself," Kassam said.

"It's those people that you really run into at the [most random]times that really make a huge, significant impact in your life."

Kassam said her current career path echoes many of the skills she uses with the charity, like creativity and critical thinking. She hopes to one day develop new technologies to make the petroleum field more sustainable.

• Hearhow Kassam started a birthday party charity as a teenager:

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With files from Tahirih Foroozanand the Calgary Eyeopener.