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‘Jammies for Junior’ a major effort

Pajamas collected to be distributed to shelters in Hamilton, Middletown and Dayton.

Staff photo by Gary Stelzer Kelly Schilling holds some of the pajamas she has collected for her Jammies for Junior program Tuesday, Nov. 10.

ENLARGE PHOTO

By Rick McCrabb, Columnist 12:27 AM Friday, November 13, 2009

MIDDLETOWN — When Kelly Schilling hugs her 15-month-old daughter Anna, she thinks of other children, those forced to live in homeless or crisis shelters.

She closes her eyes and sees those babies and their mothers — some trying to escape an abusive relationship — shivering because they have no pajamas.

Here’s where Schilling separates herself from most of us. She’s doing something about the problem.

Earlier this year, Schilling, of Middletown, collected more than 32,000 diapers and donated them to the Community Pregnancy Center in Middletown.

Hold your applause.

She’s not done.

Not even close.

Now she’s collecting — are you ready for this? — 250 new and gently used pajamas that will be distributed to shelters in Middletown, Hamilton and Dayton.

She believes no baby or mother should be cold. A noble gesture, but why her and not another mother? Isn’t one good deed a year enough?

“As cheesy as this sounds, I feel like a nagging voice is saying, ‘You need to do something. This is what you should be doing,’” she said.

So she listened.

She gave birth to “Jammies for Junior,” and in just a few weeks, has collected 60 pajamas. Her goal is 250. Don’t bet against her.

A table in her living room is stacked with pajamas, each neatly folded and labeled for distribution.

She said some mothers and children — suddenly pushed out of their homes, sometimes in the middle of the night — sleep in their clothes.

“How sad is that?” she asked. “Some of these women are running for their lives. All they have are the clothes on their back. The need feels so overwhelming. It’s mind-blowing, so sad in so many levels.”

Paul Schilling simply calls his wife “something else.”

Her dedication to community service was planted at an early age. Her father nearly died when she was young, so she appreciated the support from several organizations.

“She likes to give back,” her husband said. “She’s not one of these people who likes to write a check. She wants to know that her work is going to the right place.”

In other words, she wants to provide warmth. That’s a picture she can’t wait to see with her eyes.

Contact this columnist at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.

How to help

Donate money and make checks payable to Christ Church-Jammies

Purchase new pajamas, all sizes

Donate gently used pajamas, all sizes

Drop off donated pajamas at Christ Church, 700 S. Marshall Road, Middletown. The pajamas will be donated to the Hope House, a homeless shelter in Middletown; One Way Farm youth home in Fairfield; and YWCA of Dayton, an emergency crisis shelter.

Information: www.jammiesforjunior.blogspot.com

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