Casey Cares 11th-annual Biggest PJ Party is all month. Here's how you can help.
National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day is on April 16, but more importantly, the Casey Cares Foundation is celebrating its 11th Annual Biggest PJ Party all month.
The Casey Cares Foundation provides support for critically ill children and their families in ways you might not expect.
"We work to provide support during the whole time the family is going through their child's illness, and for an additional year after active treatment ends," said Erin Ritter, the deputy director of the Casey Cares Foundation.
How to help Casey Cares
Caring for the families is a big job, and that's why it is recruiting Marylanders to help by donating a pair of pajamas.
"So pajamas are comfortable, and when you're in the hospital, you don't want to wear a scratchy hospital gown, and even more, so it's just a comfort of home," Ritter said.
The pajamas support Casey Cares' Kami's Jammies Program, inspired by Kamryn "Kami" Lambert, who was a Casey Cares child. Kamryn passed away on September 5, 2007, just a month shy of her ninth birthday.
Kami spent much of her childhood in the hospital and felt comforted wearing pajamas instead of hospital gowns, and now her legacy continues through this program.
"In her honor, we started, you know, providing pajamas to the University of Maryland hospital, because that's where she was treated," Ritter said.
Since then, the program blossomed, providing pajamas to children and their families at dozens of hospitals.
"To have something comfortable to wear means a ton to the parents and to the kids," Ritter said. "We've actually even heard from some of our moms that they were given pajamas, because we do collect all sizes from birth all the way up to adult sizes."
Casey Cares said they need adult-sized pajamas for parents and teenagers.
"Pajamas are really simple, and I know when I have a new pair of pajamas, there's nothing better than getting into bed and being cozy," Ritter said. "And so think about how a child who's scared in the hospital feels, and if we can bring just a little bit of comfort to them, there's really just nothing more simple than being cozy."
Ritter said that their goal is to collect over 20,000 different pajamas for families in Maryland and across the country. The deadline to donate is April 30.
You can show your support by choosing a day in April to wear your jammies to work or school (or just around the house) to show your support.
For more information or to donate a pair of pajamas just visit caseycares.org.
