The Pajama Program

OPEN UP your heart and HELP US make a difference

For some women the term get away from it all doesn't mean a vacation. An escape is just that. It means digging deep and finding the courage, resources and support to leave a situation of family violence and a home that is no longer safe for them and their children. Often they leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Perhaps a single mother wants and needs to create a better life for herself and her children and is temporarily having trouble coping. She takes her children to a place where they can be safe while she works things out.

There are many women and children in crisis. There are many stories and many needs. Each year thousands right here in our own communities are exposed to family violence, poverty and homelessness.

They are living in local shelters, group homes or temporary housing and many don't own one of the simplest of things - a pair of pajamas. When it's time to go to sleep they just pull a blanket over the clothes they wore that day.

Putting on a new pair of cosy pajamas makes them feel safe, secure and loved. The warmth they provide is felt deep into the heart.

Send them some love. Give a new pair of pajamas to a child and you'll be giving hope. Help to make the end of a hard day a little softer at a time in their lives when they feel most vulnerable.

VIPj - Alberta Health Link Services

Two years ago Pat Richardson with Alberta Health Link saw a small write up about our program in The Calgary Sun and saved it thinking that it would be a great cause to take to her colleagues. You see this group of nurses and switchboard staff love to fund raise and do so throughout the year in various different ways. They particularly like to focus on initiatives that benefit women and children. Then she tucked it away for safe-keeping. That newspaper clipping surfaced again this fall and that is when she contacted me to say that they want to support The Pajama Program as their Christmas project this year.

Today I picked up 109 pairs of pajamas and two large bags of booksthat this group so eagerly collected. The excitement they all felt was evident and they all commented on how much fun they had doing it. They got very creative in their pajama drive. Here is how they did it.

• Put a box in the office where staff could drop their donations of books and pajamas.
• One very talented staff member created a huge gingerbread house from scratch and even built furniture inside with pretzels. This was used as a RAFFLE prize and the proceeds were used to buy pajamas.
• Held a bake sale that raised almost $700 to put toward new jammies.
• Created a 'Wear Jeans to Work' program for the past two weeks. In order to wear your jeans to work you must donate $5.00 toward the project.

These amazing women clearly care about each other and the community they serve. They are an inspiration - and have already challenged themselves to collecting even more pajamas next year.

Alberta Health Link Services are Friends of The Pajama Program and we are honoured to give them the designation of VIPj for helping so many children have a better bedtime experience.

As one member of the team put it "Pajamas are my favorite Christmas present to buy and give."

 

Pajama Program - USA

 

For the past ten years USA based Pajama Program has been providing warm pajamas and bedtime story books to children in their nation.

We are proud to have partnered with them as an Alberta Affiliate. The work we do is separate from theirs but the vision is the same. Since 2009 as The Pajama Program in Canada we have been helping the children in our very own communities living in shelters, group homes, or temporary housing have a better bedtime.

Help us give a child PAJAMAS and a SMILE.

VIPj - Desperado's Nightclub Project Pajama

Desperado's Nightclub in South Calgary contacted us to say that they would like to do a Pajama Party at the club in support of our Pajama Program. Everyone who brings in a donation will get free VIP entry for the evening as their way of thanking them for supporting the cause. Naturally we are thrilled to be the recipients of their generosity.

They got a local radio station involved and they ended up with 34 pairs in all size ranges for boys and girls and 10 bedtime story books for us to distribute - just in time for Christmas. They also said that the event was so much fun they are confident that they will want to do the same thing, same time next year.

Thankyou Desperado's Nightclub. You are a Friend of the Pajama Program have helped make the end of a hard day a little softer for some children living in crisis.

Thank You from Children's Cottage Society

Thank You from Rowan House

Thank You from Discovery House

Pajama Party Event in Jasper 2011

WOW. The women who attended the event brought in piles of cosy new pajamas for a total of 93 pairs. In addition they donated $1230.00 for us to go buy even more.

I bet when we walked into the Disney Outlet store they didn't think we would buy 133 pairs of pajamas. They had an awesome sale - up to 75% off the cutest jammies a child could want, featuring all the Disney characters. It was great that we could stretch the dollars that were so generously donated. Total pajamas as a result of The Pajama Party annual Pajama Drive in 2011 was 225 pairs.

Thank You from Children's Cottage Society

Thank You from Edmonton Dream Centre

Thank You from Kids Kottage Foundation