Pajamas seem like the most basic of necessities for a child. Whether they are covered in superheroes or princesses, they are the first step to sweet dreams.
Unfortunately, too many kids do not have this simple comfort. That’s where the Polo Park Middle School Kindness Ambassadors Club (KAC) comes in. In order to make an impact on others and promote positivity, the KAC started the Pajama Project, collecting pajamas and books for donation to kids in foster care in Palm Beach County.
“Our mission is to make an impact and promote positivity in our school and community through simple acts of kindness,” said Chelsea Solorzano, one of the staff sponsors for the Kindness Ambassadors Club.
The successful drive got more than 100 sets of pajamas and 50 new books for donation to children in need.
“We had a representative come to the club [virtually] and talk with the students about the project and what they represent,” Solorzano said.
The Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) also pitched in by announcing the project using social media outlets.
The club has two faculty sponsors, Solorzano and Thamires Dos Anjos, and 15 students. The club meets twice a month to come up with ways to do big or small acts of kindness to benefit local people.
Especially today, sticking together and showing kindness is important when someone is struggling. The pandemic has caused stress on everyone, and the KAC is a helpful reminder that there are people out there who want to help in any way they can.
The club has done small acts of kindness on campus for staff members, as well as much larger acts of kindness, like making Valentine’s Day cards for nursing homes.
The KAC is always coming up with new ways to help spread kindness. Through the community, there have been three collections this year, including for the Soup Kitchen, where the club collected food for Thanksgiving meals to give to Palm Beach County residents. This year, the club also made a Forgotten Soldiers Outreach collection, where they collected items to create care packages to be sent to soldiers overseas.
The KAC is open to any Polo Park student who wants to join, where they will then have the opportunity to make a difference and convince others to show kindness to people they come across.
Spreading this positivity helps the club, too. Being kind to the school and the local area makes a stronger bond with the students, staff and parents in the community.
This year, everyone in the club has impacted the community tremendously. As the Kindness Ambassadors Club continues to grow, the members will continue to create good.
The generosity and idea of putting others first shows that it doesn’t matter how big or small an act of kindness is, impacting someone’s life with positivity is what is most important.
— By Alexa Hill
