Printer Friendly Version - Pajamas and Books for All

Island Avenue School students who helped coordinate the Pajama Program drive were (front row, left to right) Amy Corcoran, Nate Palumbo, Will Sobran, Brinley Engel, and Jaret Ostop; (back row) Claire Giles, Daniel Long, and Lily Barber, along with IAS Principal Kathy Nutley.

What's better than curling up in bed with warm pajamas and a good book on a cold winter's day? It's a simple image of comfort that doesn't cost too much, but, sadly, it's still outside the range of many families. However, thanks to the efforts of the students at Island Avenue School (IAS) in Madison, many Connecticut children in need now have this opportunity. The school's Pajama Program drive, held for two weeks during the holiday season, helped supply this particular comfort for a number of children in the New Haven and Hartford area, many who are awaiting adoption.

"This is the very first time we'd done it," said Kathy Nutley, the principal at the school. "I was talking to my staff last spring about the fact that I really want my students here at Island to be giving to kids like themselves who are less fortunate."

The Pajama Program (profiled on The Oprah Winfrey Show) aims to provide new, warm pajamas and a brand new book to children in need nationwide. The kids at IAS collected a variety of pajamas in different sizes and books that appealed to them.

"The kids were asked to pick out pajamas that they themselves would like and a book to go with them," Nutley explained.

The pajamas and books for toddlers went to a school in New Haven; the items collected for elementary and teenage children went to a school in Hartford. Coordinated by retired IAS teacher Connie Piccione and her husband Mike, the drive collected a grand total of 316 items—a number just three less than the total population of the school.

For the IAS students, who range from grade 1 to grade 4, their participation was also an opportunity to realize that most of them are relatively fortunate.

"I think the kids in Madison have a really nice home life here and I think they don't realize that some kids don't," Nutley emphasized. "My kids here were able to see directly where it went and how it was reacted to on the other end. The school in Hartford sent us multiple thank you cards."

In the years to come, Nutley and her students look forward to doing more for their poorer counterparts in Hartford.

"I think we're looking forward to doing more for this school in Hartford," commented Nutley, who plans to send boxes of markers and crayons for Valentine's Day and outdoor toys such as hulu hoops during the warmer months. "They have a great need there. My goal: To have kids give to other kids."

"The final day of the drive we had a schoolwide pajama day," said Nutley, who also noted that the students were recognized by Superintendent David KleinK and the Board of Education with a certificate in early January. "I wore my robe and slippers and met them at the door like I always do. The whole school—teachers and all—we all wore pajamas."