If, perchance, you are looking for something charitable to do this holiday season and you want it to be meaningful, time efficient and financially manageable, consider giving the gift of warmth to a child.
Geri Schleich of Pajama Program knows a little something about that. After kicking off the month of December with a train ride and party for nearly 200 Head Start youngsters at Allaire Village in Farmingdale, N.J., the 68-year-old New Jersey Chapter President of this national 501(c) (3) organization that delivers “warm sleepwear and nurturing books to children in need” rested more easily on her own pillow.
“When I go to bed at night, I know all those children we saw went to bed in warm pajamas,” Schleich said. “I’m always cold, so I know how important that is.”
Watching Schleich in action, coordinating her team of volunteers, reading a story to the children, welcoming their hugs, I was struck by how naturally it all came to her, because she was not prone to this level of volunteerism until 2004. Prior to that, she had spent roughly 10 years homebound and depressed because of an escalated case of lymphedema (a condition of localized fluid retention caused by a compromised lymphatic system) in her legs.
“I couldn’t find a way out,” Schleich said. “I knew medication wasn’t going to fix this. Let me say before I tell you this that I am not religious. But one day I asked God to help me find a way, to give me the courage. I told him if I could find a way to move and go back to normal life, I’ll give back.”
Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Schleich believed all along she’d be up and around again. A testament to that was that she had never given up her car even though she wasn’t using it. She decided to find something to do that would inspire passion in her. When she began looking for an outlet for her energy, she found that well-meaning people wanted to find her something where she’d be sitting down.
“I knew if I went to a hospital, I would be at a desk telling people what floor to go to,” she said.
And then in 2004 she heard a radio interview with Pajama Program founder Genevieve Piturro, whose germ of an idea in 2001 gave rise to a movement that has even made its way on to The Oprah Winfrey Show. Piturro was visiting a center for children with no fathers whose mothers were in prison and she realized they didn’t change out of their clothes to go to bed. One little girl didn’t even know what pajamas were for.
“I heard [Piturro] and I said, ‘that’s it,’” Schleich said. “That’s what I want to do.”
Schleich felt it was in her favor that she spoke with Piturro on the telephone and therefore Piturro couldn’t see her physical challenges.
“I slowly told her I have some limitations,” said Schleich, who gets around on a cane. “She said, ‘I do not want you to hurt yourself.’ I told her to trust me.”
That was four years ago and things have progressed swimmingly. Until she began heading up her state’s Pajama Program, Schleich had no idea of the scope of the problem she’d be helping to address. Prior to that, her most consistent exposure to homelessness was catching a glimpse of the same man over and over in a town near her home. Now she has a list of over 300 receiving organizations spanning every county in the state that includes homeless shelters, domestic abuse shelters, inner city hospitals, pediatric AIDS hospitals and even a few nursing homes for children.
The progress since October 2004 has been remarkable. New Jersey is, in fact, the largest chapter in the country and as of August had distributed nearly 28,000 pairs of new pajamas to needy children. Schleich credits loyal volunteers and the generosity of New Jersey residents who have donated pajamas. She also gets a lot of support from her husband (computer), her sister (administrative) and her son (advisory).
“I couldn’t believe once I got started the extent of need,” Schleich said. “And the fact that we could never fulfill it.”
For those moved to contribute pajamas, Schleich said the program can especially use sizes eight and up and typically doesn’t get as many pajamas for boys. To find out the needs of the chapter in your state, go to www.pajamaprogram.org.
“Parents often say to me they want their children to get involved because they don’t know about poverty,” Schleich said. “But it’s adults, too.”
Educate your children. Educate yourself. Send a child to bed warm and snug this holiday season.
Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com.
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