Sara, Zaffie and Sabahat rolled out of bed and straight into school on Friday.
Along with their peers, the year 12 Taylors Lakes Secondary College students didn’t have to bother putting on their school uniforms or stick to dress code that day.
To celebrate National Pyjama Day, which is on July 22, the students were asked to arrive at school in their finest flannels and fleecy slippers, along with a gold coin donation to raise money for The Pyjama Foundation, which supports children in foster care.
Year 12 co-ordinator Antoinette Massarotto said the students raised more than $300 on the day.
Shannon O’Brien, who co-ordinates volunteers for the foundation in Victoria, says the main focus is recruiting volunteers to act as mentors to the children who live in foster homes.
“We want to show these kids that anything is possible for them,” she says.
“Kids in care are the lowest performing group at school – 75 per cent don’t go on to finish VCE – and 50 per cent of homeless people come from a foster care background.”
The foundation’s mentors visit the same foster child for an hour each week.
“We ask for long term commitments for our mentors,” Ms Massarotto says.
“We ask for one hour each week for a minimum of a year, but we hope those placements will last forever.”
For more information, or to donate, go online www.thepyjamafoundation.com.
