Five-year-old Sydney Winter of Larchmont loves bedtime. It is a special time each day when she puts on her cozy pajamas and snuggles up with her mom or dad for a bedtime story. Not every child is so lucky. So Sydney and her mom, Sari, reached out to the Pajama Program, a non-profit organization that collects new pajamas and books to be given to disadvantaged children.
Westchester County’s Department of Social Services partners with the Pajama Program and news of Sydney’s donation of more than a dozen pairs of pajamas reached Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino last week.
“You are never too young to start giving back,” said Astorino, after presenting Sydney with a certificate of appreciation in his office in White Plains. “As parents we should always encourage our children to lend a hand to those less fortunate. Sydney is a great example to all of us on how we can contribute to our communities. Even the tiniest gesture can have a profound impact on someone’s life.”
Since 2001, the Pajama Program has given more than a million pajamas to children around the country. Its 2012 “Better Bedtimes, Brighter Tomorrows” campaign hopes to provide 500,000 pajamas and books combined to children in need this year.
The organization’s Westchester chapter accepts new pajama and book donations for children up to 18-years-old and distributes them to 55 different organizations throughout the county including schools, soup kitchens and group homes.
If you wish to make a donation, contact Stephanie Bisaccia, president of the Westchester Chapter of Pajama Program by phone at (845) 235-4212 or by e-mail at .
Photo (l. to r.): DSS Deputy Commissioner Rosa Boone, County Executive Robert P. Astorino, Sydney Winter, Sari Winter and DSS Commissioner Kevin McGuire.