“My son, Reuven, was a student at Telshe Yeshiva and whenever my two daughters, Eliana and Chaya Dalya, and I visited him, we were struck by the kindness and outreach of the community,” said Wendy. “I also knew this would be a wonderful area for Sweet Dreams for Kids to flourish.”
Sweet Dreams for Kids is a grassroots nonprofit that donates new, colorful, cozy pajamas to hospitalized children. The idea for the nonprofit came from Wendy’s personal experience and a miracle.
In 2005, Chaya Dalya was born with a cancerous tumor and given little chance of survival despite surgery, many rounds of chemotherapy, and radiation. The fact that she did survive propelled Wendy to devise a nonprofit that eases a hospitalized child’s experience. “When you have a daughter like Chaya Dalya, whom I call ‘my little miracle,’ you have to do something positive to pay it forward,” said Wendy.
Since it was launched in 2008, Sweet Dreams for Kids has donated more than 20,000 brand new pajamas to children in hospitals around the world. Wendy has mailed new pajamas as far away as Israel, Australia, France, and England, and the orders keep coming in. Sizes range from babies to adult. Wendy also makes sure that if a sick child has siblings at home, they, too, receive a pair of new pajamas.
“It’s good for families with ill children to know that other families can relate to what they are going through,” said Wendy. “Just seeing a child’s face light up when he or she puts on these adorable pajamas, instead of a hospital gown, is incredibly rewarding. Our pajamas bring a piece of home to their hospital room.”
Along with personally answering all email she receives from pajama recipients and their families, Wendy donates children’s pajamas to hospitals when she is traveling to other cities. “Dalya inspires me every day,” said Wendy. “She always says she is happy when she makes someone else happy.”
Sweet Dreams for Kids has been rated the top nonprofit since 2012 by greatnonprofits.org. Major pajama donors include Hanna Andersson, Carter’s, and Macy’s in Minneapolis. Target at Cedar Center has already provided gift cards for Wendy to purchase pajamas, and Cleveland Yachad and Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery also contributed. Over the years, the nonprofit has also received assistance from businesses, schools, retail stores, youth groups, and medical professionals.
Wendy is hoping to develop online fundraisers and pajama parties to keep her purchasing power up during COVID-19. She is also trying to locate a warehouse in the Cleveland area to store donations that are currently housed in a donated storage unit in Minneapolis.
“I’ve already made contact with Cleveland Clinic, Ronald McDonald House, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and Bikur Cholim, and am eager to find local storage space so I can deliver boxes of donated pajamas and have room for new donations,” said Wendy.
“When you have a daughter like Chaya Dalya, whom I call ‘my li le miracle,’ you have to do something positive to pay it forward.”
As Wendy networks in the Cleveland community, her two daughters are busy making friends and enjoying their new hometown. Eliana attends Chaviva High School in Cleveland Heights, and Chaya Dalya is a student at Beachwood High School. Reuven attends a Yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey.
Despite COVID-19 restrictions, Wendy and her daughters could not be happier with their move to Beachwood. Recently, Chaya Dalya celebrated her 15th birthday and Wendy organized a birthday parade from Hilltop Elementary School to their home. The event brought out a Fox 8 TV crew and made local news.
“Beachwood’s Fire Department, EMS, and Police Department participated, and we felt the support of the entire community,” said Wendy. “There’s no question, moving to Beachwood is the best thing that could have happened to our family.”
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