As we ready our new Reading Center in NYC for Opening Day I am haunted by a call I received several years ago. The call came from a man who said he read about our Program and wanted to learn more. He asked a lot of questions and finally revealed, "I lived in an orphanage."

In one of the rooms in our new Reading Center we're showcasing inspirational and motivational quotes in a mural. As I read the quotes I realize the words are as much for me as they are for the teens. Maybe you'll agree -- we'd be moving mountains much faster if we all believed these words...

Our Literacy Program's goal is focused on lifelong learning and upon making a positive impact on the growth of our student readers. To this end we're making plans to fill our space with thousands of children pre-K through teenagers.

Feeling connected to the children we serve is so important to all of us. In every box of pajamas and books we send to group homes and shelters we include a sheet called Pajama Program's Kids Blog sheet.

Pajama Program began 12 years ago with a simple purpose: to give children in need a book to read at bedtime and new pajamas to comfort them through the night.

A sad lesson we have learned over our 11 years is that too often, children in foster care have little that they can call their own. We have been working to help change that sad fact, even just a little.

Our hearts will embrace our children forever. Every day their faces give us the strength to move forward to help them together.

Soon we'll be able to read with 3,000 children in need each year. These are exciting times with increasing support and new plans coming into fruition. But growth mode is scary too.

Letters and notes from the children we serve have guided me to five answers, especially where our teens are concerned: Listen. Don't judge. Hear their call for help. Take a step toward, not away, from them. Never forget them.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and I believe its sentiment has arrived early.

Sometimes I am sure I see a spark in a child's eye when he's on line with his classmates to put his gifts on the bus that tells me he gets it -- it's about helping someone else, not just once, but in the days and years to come.

There are those jarring moments in life when reality sets in. Moments like the realization that not everyone is lining up to take in every little boy.

I no longer yearn for those pot of gold gifts I wanted when I was younger - a jaguar to drive and a fancy house to live in. I am grateful for my pajamas and books just as much as the little boy in the letter is. And I know giving is the real gift.

We're sending wishes for them to find friendship with other children, acceptance among adults and recognition in our world.

When we pack up each box we never know who will wear the sweet mermaid nightgown or exciting spiderman pajamas or who will go to sleep holding a new, bright yellow Curious George book.

I sometimes feel overwhelmed by how much we promise all the children who are waiting for our pajamas and books. Will we receive enough support every year to get through our wait list? Can we deliver on our promise?

ometimes we can see emotions on faces of the children and imagine what their lives are like, but we can never know the answer to the most important question: Is he loved?

I remember as a child loving to visit my friends' houses. Sleeping in someone else's home was a treat. Now I can't help but wonder how many of the children we see at Pajama Program wish for a mundane routine in a home of their own.

While most of us grapple with fears of change, or fears we'll make a wrong move, can you imagine what it's like to be afraid to ask for something as simple as a book?

I have learned a lot about life from some very smart people: children. Some of the simplest, purest truths have been told to me by six-year-olds.

We often hear about children in our Pajama Program reading groups who are transferred -- children we'll probably never see again. I can't help but won...

I will always remember one of my first reading groups in Yonkers, N.Y. One afternoon four little girls walked in and took a seat with me at our reading table. I said, "Oh, it's us girls today!" Then little Alfonse walked in and I said, "And one boy!"

It was amazing to see him nestling close to her in complete silence, as she read to him page by page. Genna had no idea about Timothy's past behavior. She had no idea what magic had happened.

As the children came into the room to sit and read with me, I gave each one a pair of pajamas. One little girl wouldn't take pajamas from me. She stood perfectly still, looked up at me, and asked in a whisper, "What are these?"