Health & Fitness
Donate new PJs & books for kids in need at Vernon Area Library, Nov. 11-25
Donations for nonprofit Pajama Program can be dropped off at the library in Lincolnshire from November 11 through November 25.
Snuggling our children up in warm, cozy pajamas and reading a bedtime story is a nightly ritual in many of our homes. Extend that feeling of comfort and security to a child in foster care or a group home with a donation to the Pajama Program collection at the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire, Ill., between Nov. 11 and Nov. 25, 2013.
This is the third year the library has partnered with the national nonprofit Pajama Program for a charity drive. The Pajama Program works primarily with foster care organizations and family shelters to provide books and bedclothes to children in need. Some of these children have never before owned a pair of pajamas.
New pajamas are especially needed in winter, when children are most vulnerable to serious colds and illnesses. Warm, clean pajamas help to protect them against night chills and harmful conditions. The books the children read at bedtime go a long way in improving their reading level as well. Many have been removed from school for long periods of time and do not have access to books and their grade reading level is far lower than their peers.
Donations should be new, unused sets of pajamas (or a nightgown) for children from infants to 12 years old. New books may be paired with the pajamas, but it is not necessary to exactly match pajamas and books. Donations in either category or both are welcomed.
Through the Pajama Program's Chicago chapter, items collected at the library's drive will be donated to One Hope United, a social service agency in Lake County, Ill.
Last year, library patrons donated 136 sets of pajamas and 142 new books during the drive. Local civic organization Neighbors and Newcomers of Long Grove and Kildeer have played a significant role in the annual drive's success.
About The Pajama Program
The Pajama Program is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2001 that provides new, warm pajamas and new books to children in need in the United States and around the world. Since its inception, the Pajama Program has provided more than 1,000,000 new pajamas and new books to children in need, operating 60 chapters in 33 states throughout the U.S. The Pajama Program meets the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance charity standards, the highest ranking for non-profits. For more information, please visit http://pajamaprogram.org.
About the Vernon Area Public Library District
The Vernon Area Public Library District serves a population of 42,900 within a 29-square-mile area that includes Lincolnshire, Prairie View, and parts of Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Riverwoods, Vernon Hills, and unincorporated Vernon and Ela townships. The Vernon Area Public Library building is located at 300 Olde Half Day Road in Lincolnshire, Ill. For more information about the library and its services, visit http://www.vapld.info.
