Do you know what your calling is? Every person on Earth has one – something unique, something only you were born to do. That’s your real job: to figure out what your calling is and begin to honor it.
The Pajama Program is a New York-based charity that was founded in 2001 by Genevieve Piturro. For Genevieve, realizing her passion took a little bit of soul searching. As a marketing executive and single woman in her 30s, she focused on climbing the corporate ladder. Then at age 38, she met her husband, and the pair started settling into a life together – but something was missing.
Though she never felt the pressure to have her own children, Genevieve knew she wanted to have children around her. So she started to volunteer at night. She’s a big reader, so she’d volunteer to read to children in shelters and group homes. She wanted to create a warm and nurturing environment for youngsters living under difficult circumstances, so her mission began. As she worked at different shelters, Genevieve started to notice that none of the children owned pajamas. They would go to sleep in their regular clothes. One of her encounters with a small child touched her heart.
After presenting a pair of pajamas to the little one, the child looked up at her and asked, “What do I do with these?” Genevieve told him he could wear them to bed. She then asked him what he normally wore to bed and he replied, “My clothes.” I don’t think any of us can imagine what it would be like to have to sleep in our clothes at night. Many of us are parents who have been blessed to be able to read our children a bedtime story and tuck our little ones in bed at night. Unfortunately, there are thousands of children that haven’t been afforded that luxury, and that’s where the Pajama Program comes into play.
In April 2007, Genevieve was invited to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show. What she didn’t know was the surprise that was waiting for her. Oprah had contacted every single member of the audience that was going to be there that day (300 folks!) and asked them to bring pajamas with them. There was a catch, though. They could only buy one pair. They had to get creative to come up with the remainder. And creative they were, because that day they presented 32,046 pairs of pajamas to the Pajama Program! Carts full of pajamas were rolled out onto the stage!! Genevieve was stunned, to say the least!
I began the Ohio Chapter in September 2007 using First Congregational Church of Akron (which is my church as well as my employer) as my “base camp.” I felt compelled to get involved in this worthwhile charity after hearing about the segment on the Oprah Winfrey Show and reading an article about the Pajama Program in a friend’s Temple’s newsletter. After reading it I went to the website, www.pajamaprogram.org, and became even more interested, so I e-mailed the New York headquarters and asked what was required to start a chapter. The rest is history, as they say. I began as a one-woman chapter and donated eight pairs of pajamas and eight books myself, just to get things going. We are now serving 43 approved receiving organizations within the state of Ohio, and I also have an additional 10 wonderful members in my chapter who have been an extraordinary help to me! We attend various community events such as the Highland Health Fair, the Stow Community Showcase, and things of this nature just to spread the word about the Pajama Program. I also place small ads in community newspapers and give talks to various groups, which have done wonders in getting the word out. Last summer PBS’s Kids Sprout (the 24-hour preschool channel) partnered with the Pajama Program, and my chapter went to the Columbus Zoo and to Progressive Field for “Tuck-In” events. The Great Sprout Tuck-In is a prosocial initiative that extends Sprout’s “good night” mission and encourages families to share in the spirit of giving.
For children who come from broken homes or are waiting to be adopted, the gift of pajamas is much more than something to sleep in. Pajamas give these children comfort and love….like a hug at bedtime. Often these children have been removed from school for long periods of time, and the gift of a new book with the pajamas is a simple gesture that gives these children reading practice with a hope for a better tomorrow.
Currently I have many pajama/book drives going on at hospitals, churches, Mom’s Clubs and other community organizations. The Knights of Columbus group in Strongsville has been one of our biggest supporters. When our chapter receives monetary donations, I send the checks to our headquarters in New York City. They have more buying power than I do, and when a need arises in our chapter I’m able to ask them to send 100 pajamas (or whatever amount is needed) to a particular receiving organization if I don’t have enough on hand. Two years ago, the Bright Horizons Child Care Center had a huge pajama/book drive for us and delivered more than 2,200 pairs of pajamas to First Congregational Church. I had to call in the forces, so to speak, and have everyone in my chapter come to my church and lend a hand with the sorting, packing and preparing of each box (there were 42 of them!) for shipping. A Girl Scout troop in Lodi, which was working on its Silver Award, chose the Pajama Program for their big project. They also came to help us that day. It really felt good knowing that we were helping SO many children and also teaching a group of young ladies about the spirit of giving.
On one of my last visits to ACCESS, which is a 30-day shelter for women and children, one of their clients recognized me and waved. I waved back and smiled and made a connection with her. She knew I was “safe” and that I brought not only pajamas and books with me, but I also brought hope to her and her children. What a wonderful feeling that was for me. So I will continue my mission and continue to bring hope to those in need ... one pair of pajamas at a time.
Patty Gillespie
Ohio Chapter President of the Pajama Program
C/O First Congregational Church of Akron
292 E. Market St.
Akron, Ohio 44308-2016
330-253-5109
"Nothing is ever too much to do for a child."
Pajama Program has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities.
