A Lloydminster youth is making sure children are comfortable and warmly dressed while away from home.
Olivia Brockhoff is running her Project PJ for the fifth year. The sixteen-year-old is collecting pyjamas for children who have to stay in hospital. This year the donations will be split between the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton and the Lloydminster Hospital.
“It’s incredible to see how much it’s grown and how many people have reacted to it and donated. It’s amazing how much the community has come together and how much help and donations there have been.”
Brockhoff started the project after a friend’s sister was diagnosed with cancer and had to stay at the Stollery.
“The PJ’s are disgusted. I’ve been in the hospital before for other things and I know how gross they are. She didn’t like them and complained and I felt like I wasn’t doing enough so I came up with this idea to donate pyjamas to the Stollery hospital.”
Brockhoff says the hospital staff is always welcoming and excited to see her bring in the donations.
People can drop off brand new pyjamas at Meridian Surveys, Wayside Dental Centre, Heritage Optical, Alta-Sask Wellness and Weir Veterinary Services until December 14.
Brockhoff encourages people to bring pyjamas of all sizes and styles and stresses they have to be new, otherwise, they can’t accept them. Her goal is to gather another 2,000 pairs this year to follow up last year’s total of 2,476.