Once upon a time…

Once upon a time, in a land quite nearby, in a house not very far from yours and mine, there were lovely boys and girls. Some were very young and some were nearly grown, but they all needed help.

The boys and girls had seen and experienced things they never should have. Sometimes their parents would hurt them, ignore them, or even go away completely – so that the children were not able to be children at all. Because they were hurt or lonely, the children never knew what it was like to feel safe and warm lying under their covers. They never heard a voice they trusted read to them stories of faraway, happy places, of kings with crowns, mischievous monkeys or heroic wizards.

Then there appeared a group of people, people who believed they could help. And isn’t that is how all great endings begin? When people believe?

Chernoff Newman is hoping to write happy endings for the stories of local children. From September 9 – 30, as part of the Trident United Way’s “Day of Caring,” we’ll be collecting bedtime story books and pajamas to be donated to The Pajama Program.

The Pajama Program helps bring comfort to children who have seen too many evil witches and big, bad monsters. Through the end of the month, we’ll be accepting pajamas, ranging from infant to teen sizes, as well as new or gently used books at each of our three locations in Columbia and Charleston, S.C., and Orlando, F.L.

Find out more about The Pajama Program in this video, and to find out how you can help, contact Lindsay Szeszycki. We also invited you to learn more about our work with the Trident United Way.