The Pajama Program, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, provides new, warm pajamas and books to needy children in the United States, and around the world, many who are waiting and hoping to be adopted. These are youngsters who may not know the comforts of a mother or father to tuck them into a cozy bed and read them a bedtime story. Too many have been abandoned, most deprived of any love at all. Our mission is to provide a loving environment for children who have lived through a great deal of hurt in their young lives to give them hope for a better tomorrow. The program identifies key institutions in major cities in the U.S. and other countries where children are living temporarily as they wait and hope for adoption.
OK, so I expend a lot of energy and column inches bemoaning the state of our public discourse in particular and the American body politic in general. While that all may legitimately suck, every now and then I enjoy recognizing someone who manages to make a difference for the right reasons. In this case, the Pajama Program makes a difference for those often least able to fend for themselves- children awaiting adoption, who have in far too many cases experienced pain and suffering that would test the mettle and warp the soul of most adults. Most of us can recall being tucked into bed by a mother of father, who perhaps would even read a bedtime story every now and again. Though most of us probably learned at an early age to take that sort of thing for granted, there are many children, in this country and around the world, who have never experienced it.
The Pajama Program provides a small ray of sunshine for too many children who’ve been denied a “normal” nuclear family situation. Whether it be from war, natural disasters, or other causes, these are children for whom a hug and a warm pair of pajamas can go a long way towards easing the pain they experience daily.
To find out more, you can download their informational brochure as a PDF file, or you can go here to watch a Quicktime video. If you feel so inclined, you can even make a donation at their secure donation site.
Sometimes, all it takes is something as simple as a new pair of warm pajamas and a hug.
