Pjammin’, an annual tradition at Athens Academy, is a day filled with comfort and creativity, all for the purpose of service. This event is sponsored by the CARE club, a student organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for childhood illnesses. Pjammin’ is a school-wide pajama day where students engage in creative activities- the products of which will be sent to patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).

This year, PJammin’ was on Wednesday, February 28. The preschoolers made bookmarks (with the help of the seniors), the lower schoolers strung together beaded bracelets, and the upper schoolers tied pillowcases. The hope is that receiving one of these handmade gifts will brighten the day of a child battling a long-term illness.

Junior Brinkley Williams, a PJammin’ volunteer, says, “I love going to help the kids in lower school, it’s so much fun and they are so adorable. Also it’s great knowing that our work will make a difference.”

To make the event successful, behind the scenes work begins long before Wednesday morning, as the CARE club members prepare the materials for weeks leading up to the event. Siena Avolio, a junior leader of the PJammin’ event, comments on the preparation and says, “We’ve been preparing all year, since August. In September, we started with packaging the products that we made last year to be sent to CHOA, and then we raise money through events like the Father Daughter Dance to buy materials for next year. Then we come in on the weekends and cut the templates for the blankets which we bought with money from last year’s Father Daughter Dance. It’s a lot of work, but it’s always worth it in the end, and this year was even more successful than the previous ones!”

In addition to granting us the opportunity for self-reflection and appreciation, this Spartan tradition is fun and one of many ways that students can help serve the community. If you would like to get involved with this club organization, contact [email protected].