The Pajama Day program through Christine's Hope for Kids (CHFK) started more than five years ago at the Trenton Catholic Academy Lower School. It has become one of CHFK's best programs and is now held at several area schools.
What is more fun than wearing your pajamas to school? Maybe wearing your pajamas to school while helping kids in need, and learning a lesson at the same time. It is all about having fun and giving back.
The Pajama Day program through Christine's Hope for Kids (CHFK) started more than five years ago at the Trenton Catholic Academy Lower School. It has become one of CHFK's best programs and is now held at several area schools.
The students pay a small amount of money to wear their pajamas to school. Christine's Hope for Kids matches the funds raised dollar-for-dollar. CHFK volunteers and staff then shop for the best deals they can find on pajamas, teddy bears, books, toothpaste and toothbrushes. They fill their van with all the supplies and head back to the school so the students can pack pajama bags. Often, they are packing more than 100 bags at a time - that is a lot of supplies!
Packing the bags is important because the students get to see where their donations are going. The program is not just about raising money, it is also about teaching the importance of giving back. It is about bringing it full circle.
The students have fun setting up an assembly line and thoughtfully placing each pair of pajamas, each book, each teddy bear and each toothbrush into a bag. Sometimes, they even take it a step further and add a personal note with words of encouragement, knowing that these bags will be delivered to kids in shelters or family centers.
So many times, these children arrive at the shelter with only the clothes on their back. They are scared and lonely. But, because of the generosity of the students and Pajama Day, they are greeted with snuggly pajamas, a warm teddy bear and a book to call their own. The hope is this little bag will get them through a tough time and put a smile on their face.
"While the students at TCA enjoy the break from wearing their school uniforms, they are well aware of the significance of the day and have gleaned much from Christine's story and her desire to help those in need," said Anne Reap, principal of Trenton Catholic Academy Lower School. "Our work with Christine's Hope has taught our students the importance of making a difference in the lives of others and that sometimes it requires self-sacrifice for the greater good."
Your donation to the 2015 Times Annual Appeal will help Christine's Hope for Kids continue its mission to help kids in need in our community. NJM Insurance group of West Trenton has pledged to donate $1,000 for every $5,000 contributed by the community and other business donors throughout the 2015 campaign.
To make a donation in support Christine's Hope for Kids, make your check payable to The Times Holiday Appeal and mail it to Times Charities, Inc., 413 River View Plaza, Trenton, NJ 08611.
All gifts will be acknowledged in The Times. Anonymity will be granted if requested.
For more about Christine's Hope for Kids, go to www.christineshope.org.
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