Sweet Dreams

What child doesn't love climbing into a cozy new pair of pajamas? The Pajama Program brings that pleasure to kids in shelters, group homes, orphanages and foster care -- many of whom are waiting to be adopted. And it provides a perfect way for kids to help kids through slumber parties, classroom or scout troop collections, Bar/Bat Mitzvah projects, and more. How simple (and sweet) would it be to ask sleepover party guests to bring a new pair of PJs for the Pajama Project, or a new kid's book? (The charity has distributed more than 140,000 books since 2001, along with more than 350,000 PJ sets.) See the Pajama Project's Kids Helping Kids page for examples of what kids have done.

Kindness is In the Bag

At 7, Makenzie Snyder met two foster kids at the World Children's Summit and found out, among other things, that most foster children bundle their belongings in garbage bags when moving from home to home. That didn't seem right, so she decided to do something about it. Now 16, Makenzie has sent tens of thousands of duffle bags and suitcases to foster kids, often with stuffed animals inside to provide comfort and ease transitions. With help from countless contributors including Oprah and Rosie O'Donnell, she aims to reach all 530,000 children in the U.S. foster care system through the project, which she named Children to Children.