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ADOPT A SCHOOL - BOOKS ON THE BAYOU
Saturday, January 27, 2007
$34,000+ Raised So Far!


nocollage.jpg - 93357 BytesOn Saturday, January 27, the Pajama Program and 175 employees from international technology firm Prolifics spent the day in New Orleans helping students at Lafayette Academy upgrade the school’s library, paint murals and refurbish other areas in need of repair. All students at Lafayette Academy will receive a new pair of pajamas, individual books they need for their classes, and books for the school’s library.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Prolifics for sponsoring the project and giving back to New Orleans while on their conference there.

Special heartfelt thanks goes to Mindy Caplan, our New Orleans chapter president – we couldn’t have done it without you - and Ana Bosnjak and Terri Jasen, from New York, who helped Mindy put the project together! As you can see from our photo, we’re celebrating Sunday morning!

“What an amazing experience it was to meet the children in New Orleans and learn about their school, their favorite subjects and their lives in general,” commented Genevieve Piturro, Pajama Program’s founder. “So many of them are now returning to New Orleans after Katrina forced their families to leave their homes more than a year ago. They are so glad to be home and we were thrilled to be able to give them some of the comforts of home!”

“Thank you all so much for all your hard work and devotion to the Pajama Program/Prolifics project and all the great kids served by the program. The volunteer effort was amazing on Saturday, but the work that went into making it a success was huge and I am the first one to recognize that. The children that were there had a fabulous day, much better than had they stayed at home in whatever their living situation was. And, those that arrived today to see all the beautiful murals will find a magical space that will make coming to school even better every day.

I cannot thank you enough for all that you did to provide this wonderful experience and gifts galore for these kids. You are such special people! “
 ~ Carol G. Asher, Board member, Lafayette Academy
Opening Day of Lafayette Academy was September 11, 2006 – the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The Lafayette Academy serves 770 children, mostly from African-American, very low income families. The majority live at or below the poverty line. Most of these children have suffered personally from the Hurricane and their families have lost their homes. They are living with extended family members and friends.

The Lafayette Academy has been open now for two months and the teachers have been struggling to organize several departments. Among their priorities is to furnish and fill a library – one that is bright and cheerful and filled with books and media equipment to foster imagination and education for the children.


The Pajama Program's Hurricane Katrina Efforts

In September 2005, the Pajama Program made two trips to the Gulf area. We delivered more than 11,000 pajamas and books to the children who were victims of Hurricane Katrina; first to those sheltered across the floor of the Houston Convention Center, and then to the suburbs of Louisiana where thousands of victims took refuge.

Scroll down for more on our trips.



About Prolifics

Since 1978, Prolifics has helped organizations to resolve increasingly complex issues that involve both technology and business decisions. With offices throughout North America and Europe, Prolifics utilizes its innovative methodology and best practices, in combination with WebSphere knowledge experts, to deliver complex, high-performing systems for leading customers in finance, telecommunications, healthcare, government and manufacturing. For more on Prolifics, visit http://www.prolifics.com/who/about.html.


PAJAMA DRIVE FOR HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS
Pajama Program and RD Weis Companies Organized Pajama Drives for Katrina Hurricane Victims

  • Pajama Program's Katrina Pajama Drive
  • Genevieve's Journal -- Genevieve's First-Hand Reports from Pajama Deliveries to the Gulf Area
  • Pajama Program's Katrina Pajama Drive in the Media

    PAJAMA PROGRAM'S KATRINA PAJAMA DRIVE
    The Pajama Program, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that provides new, warm pajamas and books to needy children across the country and internationally, spearheaded an effort to collect sleepwear and books for children and families devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

    The Pajama Program's efforts were supported by RD Weis Companies, a Port Chester-based commercial floor contracting company.

    The Pajama Program collected many thousands of pajamas, and with the assistance of RD Weis, and many volunteers, delivered two huge truckloads of pajamas and books. The first truckload went to shelters in Houston, the second to shelters in Louisiana.
    Sept. 12, 2005 -- Pajama Program founder Genevieve Piturro
    and volunteers arrive in Houston and distribute pajamas
    to children in need at the Convention Center in Houston
    For more information about how to support Pajama Program's future efforts in the Gulf, please contact Genevieve Piturro, executive director and founder, Pajama Program at 212 71 MY PJS (212-716-9757); email Pajama Program or visit www.pajamaprogram.org for more on Pajama Program.


    Sept. 8, 2005 -- Pajama Program and RD Weis Volunteers
    Prepare the First Shipment of Pajamas to Go to the Convention Center and Gulf Area Shelters


    GENEVIEVE'S JOURNAL

    HurrGirls2.jpg - 231519 BytesFriday, September 30 -- We are leaving Louisiana tonight knowing there are lessons here for all of us. We’re feeling melancholy about the future for the families in the Gulf region. Transformations are taking place. It’s now a time for decision making for all of them – well, for the adults really. The children we handed pajamas and books to have for the most part, adjusted to what may feel like an adventure to them. Maybe that’s the first lesson the parents can take from their children.

    We visited a large Red Cross shelter today where we met evacuees of all ages. One little girl, about 4 years old, ran over to us waving her new photo-ID for us to see. She was so proud to have it around her neck. Another new possession that made her feel special. Then we met two pre-teen girls, one in a wheel chair, who were being registered – they were new arrivals who tried to look happy to meet us. Miss Ruby, the woman who was showing us around the shelter, was in her mid-fifties, a wise woman with poise and pride.

    It wasn’t until the end of our visit when she told us she was one of the first to arrive here, an evacuee herself from New Orleans. We were shocked – we thought she worked for the Red Cross as a counselor. We asked if she was going back and she tried with all of her might to fight her tears when she told us the floods covered her house completely. She began to cry and we hugged her, tears filling our eyes too. She’s not going back. She’s been welcomed into Monroe, Louisiana and will probably start a new life there.

    This shelter, once the State Farm Insurance headquarters, has been transformed into a mini city with street names so people know where they “live.” They’re “living” on cots here finding their way by following hand written signs taped to the walls. The signs lead them to a “normal” routine of showers, meals, job searches, apartment hunting and unemployment check distributions. It’s been four weeks since Hurricane Katrina changed so many lives and it broke my heart to see so many children and families lined up at the door, just today entering this shelter. Some have been shuffled around, bus ride after bus ride, on the way losing some of the few belongings they’ve acquired at each stop. How much can each person carry from place to place? I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to start over, not once, but two or three times after a disaster that wiped away my home and tore my family apart.

    The children will help their parents through this transformation. I know they can because I’ve seen it…in Houston and now in Louisiana. I’ve seen parents’ faces change from a frown to a smile when their child is playing in the make-shift playroom…or when their child gets a pair of cozy new pajamas and a book or two to read to pass the time.

    When we opened each box that arrived on our loading dock before it was placed in our truck for its journey to the Gulf, we found many notes, pictures and letters to the children who would receive the new gifts. The one set of letters that touched me the most were those written by a class of third graders. Each letter started “Dear Brave People,” and were filled with promises that faith in God would see them through. I thought about those letters a lot today and they were indeed addressed appropriately. They were going to some of the bravest people in our country. And now is the time for them to be brave, make a decision, and move forward.

    I know now, that the transformation is not happening for “them” alone, it’s happening for us as well. Hurricane Katrina has given us an opportunity to care for these “brave people” and in the process, we’ll all move forward together.

    Happy Dreams,

    Genevieve

    Thursday September 29, just after midnight -- Hello - it's late in Monroe, Louisiana and we are all exhausted - emotionally. At 9:00 am our truck arrived and we had 10 excited and enthusiastic local volunteers ready to unload. Everyone was waiting to see the thousands of pajamas from New York City! And the boxes just kept coming out of the truck - it was endless. I saw it all on the loading dock, but even I was overwhelmed when I saw it coming off a tractor trailer.

    We visited several shelters and met many, many families. Some people now seem to have hope, others are still afraid and alone. I want to hold the second group and promise them it will all be ok again.

    We still saw mattresses on gym floors, but there are fewer. The sight of big tupperware containers with each person's belongings stopped me in my tracks.

    Some people have found jobs and are calling Monroe home now, some will drive home to New Orleans this weekend and see what they will see. When they tell you that, they look at you like you might tell them it's all been a bad dream. What do you say? Good luck? That seems trite so you say nothing and try to convey comfort and compassion as you stare back and nod.

    The children are wonderful as always. They smile and laugh with us - their new friends who have brought them presents!

    At the last shelter we visited tonight I was so tired and looked for a place to sit quietly. As the crowd thinned out it seemed every child, mother and father had at least one pair of pajamas and even a book or two to take to bed with them. I was glad we visited them close to bedtime. As I stood to leave, three little girls came up behind me and said "Did you bring these from far away for us?" I said we did and they wrapped their arms around me waist-high, and gave me one of the biggest bear hugs I've ever had. "Thank you" they whispered. At that moment I would have carried all the pajamas from New York on my back for that hug. Forget the truck.

    But today we all agree the highest high came not fom one of the littlest kids..it came from a 77 year old kid-at-heart. When we arrived at one of the shelters and before we even had a chance to unload the boxes, we turned to discuss our plan. The next thing we saw was an elderly woman struggling to pull a pajama top over her clothing and button it up. "It fits...you can't have it, it's mine!" She laughed with a young girl who apparently also had her eye on the same set. We were stunned..and she was delighted with herself. In her new shiny pajama top she asked us, "How do I look?" Of course we all made a fuss over her. She was an evacuee from New Orleans who just wouldn't give in to her plight. Instead, she said it was all going to work out OK soon enough and she was making the best of it...and making new friends in the process.

    I guess we love children for their innocence and pure joy and the way they make us remember how life can be if we let it. But some people keep that child with them forever. They are the lucky ones. And tonight they needed pajamas too.

    Good night,

    Genevieve

    HurrBoy.jpg - 699401 BytesSeptember 13, 2005 / Houston, Texas -- Last night thousands and thousands of children sleeping on the Convention Center floor in Houston were sleeping in their first pair of pajamas in two weeks. And that's thanks to you for helping us fill our Pajama Program truck with more than 5,000 pajamas for the children of Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophe that has changed our lives forever.

    Leaving Houston was very difficult. People are still in a daze, still frightened, still unsure of tomorrow. It hurts to look at them, and you can't tell them you understand...because you don't. How would you feel if everything you had was washed away and you and your family were sleeping on a blow-up mattress in a sea of blow-up mattresses trying to hide whatever you had accumulated in 12 days? It looked like a scene from a TV show about something that could happen at the end of the world.

    When I started handing out pajamas to children in need four years ago, I wanted to hand out love and compassion with each pair, to let each child know someone cared. Never could I have imagined we would ever have to do what we did over the past 3 days -- hand pajamas to children and families who had nothing left. I held back tears every time I said, "Hello, what size does your child wear?"

    In addition to handing our pajamas on the floor of the Brown Convention Center, we visited seven shelters. It was so hard to watch the evacuees rummage through some things that are barely wearable to find anything. One man held a little boy by the hand and said to me, "my boy needs shoes." The boy was barefoot. I swallowed hard and took him to a box of children's shoes.

    Later as the man walked out he said to me, "my boy likes these." And he wore very cute sneakers and a big smile on his face. I cried. Gratifying, yes. Heartbreaking, definitely.

    I sat with a 10 yr old boy named Carlton who had found an old game to play with while his mother went through the boxes for clothes for him and her. He wore sunglasses and I teased him about it because we were inside. He smiled and said "something's wrong with my eye." He removed his sunglasses and one eye was swollen and he had to keep the light out.

    A personal thank you goes to the staff and volunteers of the University of Texas Medical Center who early on asked for their headquarters at the Convention Center to be our focus with the pajama delivery. It is this group of dedicated and compassionate people who knew they needed what we had and made sure we were able to get it directly into the hands of the little ones. It was one nurse named Lin who runs pediatrics there who stood up to one man who thought our truck should not be on their floor - to tell him that these children need clean pajamas TONIGHT - they had waited too long for so little.

    HurrTruck.jpg - 630336 BytesMelissa, one of the dedicated trio who drove down the truck of pajamas, grew attached to a Honduran family who couldn't speak English. The mother told Melissa in Spanish that her little girl with her was very sick. And after a while she confided to Melissa that she had 2 more children back at the motel who were too sick to even get to the MASH unit at the Convention Center. Melissa spent hours with the woman and her daughter getting her medicine and several doctors to tend to her. Melissa will return to Houston on her own time. Now that's the amazing part of all of this -- the human touch that transforms a life is a miracle.

    The spirit of the American people is enormous and has been given new life, ironically, through Katrina. We should all be proud of how the people of Houston - and beyond - have banded together to help their neighbors. Theirs is a story to be told when this is all said and done.

    As we walked away from the scene on the Convention Center floor we turned back one more time... with hope that they will find the courage to move forward.

    A special thank you to Randy Weis for his words, "Gen, I'll provide the truck and drivers if you can fill it."

    We are now loading our second truck for delivery of pajamas for the children in Louisiana and Mississippi.

    With deep gratitude and appreciation,

    Genevieve Piturro

    KATRINA PAJAMA DRIVE IN THE MEDIA

    Pajama Program's Pajama Drive for children affected by Hurricane Katrina has been featured in the media:

    HOME | PROGRAM | CHAPTERS | EVENTS/NEWS | TESTIMONIALS | BOARD | PARTNERS | DONATE
    Pajama Program, 34 E. 39th Street, Suite B, New York, NY 10016 , Email: terri@pajamaprogram.org Ph: 212 71 MY PJS (212-716-9757)

    Photo of Soledad O'Brien by Craig X. Sotres, Ph: 310-990-9225