In HIS Steps Learning Center partners with Scholastic Books & the PAJAMA PROGRAM for the 2011 Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive
Each school year during the months of November and December, In HIS Steps Learning Center in Goffstown, NH encourages the children enrolled in its preschool and Kindergarten programs to be thankful for all they have been blessed with, and emphasizes a spirit of giving to others during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
As part of its “Thankful Hearts & Helping Hands” outreach activities this year, In HIS Steps will be partnering with Scholastic Book Clubs and the nonprofit Pajama Program for The Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive. The mission of this drive is to provide 125,000 children in need brand-new pajamas and books—these are children who live in group homes, shelters, foster care, and orphanages. Over the last two years, caring classrooms across the country donated over 110,000 pairs of pajamas and Scholastic Book Clubs matched every single pair with a new book.
In the picture above, the children at In HIS Steps help display some of the pj's they collected as part of the nationwide effort. "The clothing a child spends 8-10 hours sleeping in is important to a child's well-being. New pajamas are a necessary part of promoting good health and preventing infections and disease, as well as providing psychological benefits." Sheldon H. Cherry, MD, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, NYC. In all, the school was able to collect over 25 pair of new pajamas with the help of it's parents and the members of Goffstown Christian Fellowship Church.
Pajama Program, a 501(c)(3) charity, provides new pajamas and new books to needy children, many of whom are waiting and hoping to be adopted. Many of these youngsters have been abused or abandoned and in many cases, have never enjoyed the simple comfort of having a loving mother or father tuck them in at bedtime. Through the Pajama Program, we hope to contribute to a warmer, more loving environment for children when they are at their most vulnerable.
As of January 2010 Pajama Program has given away more than 1 million new pajamas and new books!
