Thursday, December 06, 2007
New Pajamas Needed for Children in OHI
Some children are so in need, they don’t own a pair of pajamas. They sleep in their clothes or in their underwear. This fact became nationally known when Genevieve Piturro appeared on “The Oprah Show” five years ago to explain her experience giving new PJs to children in shelters.*
Robin Aniboli, a social worker for Ocean Health Initiatives (OHI), knows first hand how true the pajama story is. “We serve a population in Lakewood and Toms River who are in great need. People don’t realize how disadvantaged our patients are.”
Aniboli is asking the public to donate brand new pajamas for about a thousand Ocean County underprivileged children who are OHI patients. “We serve about 500 children per week between the two sites.” says Aniboli.
Lisa Ruggiero, volunteer coordinator of the “Pajama Program,” recently donated 50 pairs of PJs to OHI that she collected through the efforts of the Yoga and U Foundation, Pt. Pleasant Beach. “They are a huge blessing for us,” says Aniboli.
Organizations and individuals who wish to donate NEW pajamas, toys, or money, are asked to please wrap their gifts and label them with the gender, age, and size. Aniboli would be glad to arrange to pick up donations; or bring donations to 301 Lakehurst Road, Toms River. Call Aniboli at 732-552-0377 Ext. 8247 for more information.
*As she worked at different shelters, Genevieve (Piturro) started to notice that none of the children owned pajamas. They would go to sleep in their regular clothes. After that, Genevieve knew that one shopping bag of pajamas (she had brought with her that day) wouldn't cut it. She told everyone she knew about her mission, and she gathered as many pj's as she could.
The next time she visited the shelter, Genevieve had a shopping bag full of pjs—a pair for each child. "[A] girl came in, and she must have been 6 or 7, and she looks and she says to me quietly, 'What are these?'" Genevieve says. "I said, 'They're pajamas. You wear them to sleep. What do you wear at night?' And she said, 'My pants.'"
While Genevieve has collected tens of thousands of pajamas, she says it's never enough. There are hundreds of thousands of children in need. --an excerpt from The Oprah Winfrey Show Web site
About Ocean Health Initiatives
OHI, a federally qualified health center (FQHC), with locations at 101 Second Street, Lakewood and 301 Lakehurst Road, Toms River, provides comprehensive preventative and primary care, including pediatrics, maternal and child health, prenatal, WIC, universal immunizations, and dental health to the area's uninsured, underinsured, and undocumented residents on a sliding-fee scale, based on an individual's or family's ability to pay. OHI has a bilingual staff available to assist patients and callers. To become a patient of OHI, call a representative in the Call Center at either 732-552-0377, Toms River, or 732-363-6655, Lakewood. Visit www.ohinj.org. for further information.
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Submitted by Fran Kirschner, Frantasy Enterprises
Robin Aniboli, a social worker for Ocean Health Initiatives (OHI), knows first hand how true the pajama story is. “We serve a population in Lakewood and Toms River who are in great need. People don’t realize how disadvantaged our patients are.”
Aniboli is asking the public to donate brand new pajamas for about a thousand Ocean County underprivileged children who are OHI patients. “We serve about 500 children per week between the two sites.” says Aniboli.
Lisa Ruggiero, volunteer coordinator of the “Pajama Program,” recently donated 50 pairs of PJs to OHI that she collected through the efforts of the Yoga and U Foundation, Pt. Pleasant Beach. “They are a huge blessing for us,” says Aniboli.
Organizations and individuals who wish to donate NEW pajamas, toys, or money, are asked to please wrap their gifts and label them with the gender, age, and size. Aniboli would be glad to arrange to pick up donations; or bring donations to 301 Lakehurst Road, Toms River. Call Aniboli at 732-552-0377 Ext. 8247 for more information.
*As she worked at different shelters, Genevieve (Piturro) started to notice that none of the children owned pajamas. They would go to sleep in their regular clothes. After that, Genevieve knew that one shopping bag of pajamas (she had brought with her that day) wouldn't cut it. She told everyone she knew about her mission, and she gathered as many pj's as she could.
The next time she visited the shelter, Genevieve had a shopping bag full of pjs—a pair for each child. "[A] girl came in, and she must have been 6 or 7, and she looks and she says to me quietly, 'What are these?'" Genevieve says. "I said, 'They're pajamas. You wear them to sleep. What do you wear at night?' And she said, 'My pants.'"
While Genevieve has collected tens of thousands of pajamas, she says it's never enough. There are hundreds of thousands of children in need. --an excerpt from The Oprah Winfrey Show Web site
About Ocean Health Initiatives
OHI, a federally qualified health center (FQHC), with locations at 101 Second Street, Lakewood and 301 Lakehurst Road, Toms River, provides comprehensive preventative and primary care, including pediatrics, maternal and child health, prenatal, WIC, universal immunizations, and dental health to the area's uninsured, underinsured, and undocumented residents on a sliding-fee scale, based on an individual's or family's ability to pay. OHI has a bilingual staff available to assist patients and callers. To become a patient of OHI, call a representative in the Call Center at either 732-552-0377, Toms River, or 732-363-6655, Lakewood. Visit www.ohinj.org. for further information.
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Submitted by Fran Kirschner, Frantasy Enterprises
