New York City | Buffalo | Long Island | Albany & Hudson Valley | Rochester | Syracuse | Westchester & Putnam County
Prospective volunteers interested in any chapter, please note:
- If you have collected donations of new pajamas and books, please fill out the form on this page to begin the process of reporting your in-kind drive. See more details on the full process here.
- Organizations interested in becoming Community Partners can apply and learn more about working with Pajama Program here.
- If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers to support our mission in Maryland & DC, please fill out this form to get started!
New York City Chapter
Chapter Co-President: Fran Nevins, fran@pajamaprogram.org
Chapter Co-President: Ana Fraioli, ana@pajamaprogram.org
Email Ana at if you want to volunteer to read with children at the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). (All ACS volunteers are required to pass a background check and pay a $101.75 fee for fingerprinting.)
Ana Fraioli works in the capital markets department at Newmark. She joined Pajama Program as a volunteer in 2003. Ana coordinates daily evening and weekend programs at the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Children’s Center.
Ana believes that bedtime really should be a special time for children of all ages. “Children deserve to be in warm pajamas with a book to read – so we have and will continue to provide as much care and attention as possible to meet these needs. I am very fortunate and honored to be part of Pajama Program and thank my husband, coworkers, friends, and volunteers for all their support, guidance, and time. Besides providing pajamas and books, we have been able to create something spectacular and wonderful.”
Fran Nevins joined Pajama Program as a volunteer in 2020. She connects pajama and book donations with local Community Partners and helps NYC donors plan drives and fundraisers.
Buffalo Chapter
We are currently seeking a volunteer Chapter President for the New York – Buffalo Chapter. Please fill out this form if you are interested.
Pajama Program donations in Buffalo are currently managed through the National Office.
Please see the note at the top of the page if you have donations, are interested in becoming a Community Partner in this area, or are interested in volunteering to support this chapter.
Long Island Chapter
Chapter President: Petti Cellura, petti@pajamaprogram.org
Petti Cellura, Long Island Chapter President, believes that what goes around, comes around. She has spent 38 years working with children in New York City and Long Island schools as a teacher and then as a principal. Her love of books and reading to children brought her to Pajama Program. As a retired educator, she now has the time to devote to things she loves doing. As the granddaughter of immigrants, she was given many opportunities to succeed, from a loving home and an accepting community. She believes it is her turn to offer the nurturing experience of a comfy pair of pajamas and a good book to the next generation of children, so they too may grow up and achieve the American Dream.
Albany & Hudson Valley Chapter
We are currently seeking a volunteer Chapter President for the New York – Albany & Hudson Valley Chapter. Please fill out this form if you are interested.
Pajama Program donations in Albany & Hudson Valley, NY are currently managed through the National Office.
Please see the note at the top of the page if you have donations, are interested in becoming a Community Partner in this area, or are interested in volunteering to support this chapter.
Rochester Chapter
We are currently seeking a volunteer Chapter President for the New York – Rochester Chapter. Please fill out this form if you are interested.
Pajama Program donations in Rochester, NY are currently managed through the National Office.
Please see the note at the top of the page if you have donations, are interested in becoming a Community Partner in this area, or are interested in volunteering to support this chapter.
Syracuse Chapter
Chapter President: Connie Martin, connie@pajamaprogram.org
Follow the Syracuse Chapter on Facebook!
Connie Martin, Syracuse Chapter President, has been living in Cortland for the past nine years. Upon graduating from SUNY Cortland, she moved to NYC where she taught for a couple of years. She decided to finish graduate school at SUNY Cortland and began teaching in Homer, NY. She has taught 4th grade for nine years and enjoys working with children.
Westchester & Putnam County Chapter
Chapter Co-President: Deana Ferreira, deana@pajamaprogram.org (Westchester)
Chapter Co-President: Theresa-Marie Russo, theresamarie@pajamaprogram.org (Westchester)
Chapter Co-President: Donna Rossomando, donnar@pajamaprogram.org (Putnam)
Chapter Co-President: Lucy DeFeo, lucy@pajamaprogram.org (Putnam)
Deana Ferreira, Westchester County Co-President, is a longtime lover of literature. She believes every child deserves to learn and to imagine, and that bedtime stories are the perfect place to start. As an educator and parent, she has been sharing the joy of reading in her NYC classroom for over 20 years. Deana is a longtime resident of Mount Kisco, NY, where she enjoys spending time with her family, chasing her dog around hiking trails, and curling up with a good book.
Theresa-Marie Russo, Westchester County Co-President, has taught students for over 15 years. After graduating from Cornell University, she pursued her passion for education by embarking on a rewarding career as a private tutor and college counselor. She credits her academic and career successes to an early love of reading and strongly feels that every child should incur all the benefits that comforting bedtime routines and storybooks can offer. Theresa-Marie discovered Pajama Program when she sought a way to give back to the Westchester community, which has given her so much. She was delighted to learn about Pajama Program’s mission and local roots. She hosts an annual pajama and book drive for family and friends and enjoys communicating with all of the Westchester County community partners to help ensure they receive the pajamas and books they need.
Donna Rossomando, Putnam County Co-President, has resided in Mahopac with her family for more than 20 years. Now retired, she work in small business operations and was a board member for Putnam/Northern Westchester Women’s Resource Center. When introduced to Pajama Program by a friend, it immediately took a special place in her heart because her mother always gifted pajamas to her 18 grandchildren every Christmas. Volunteering with Pajama Program in her community keeps her memory alive.
Lucy DeFeo, Putnam County Co-President, has been a Mahopac resident for 32 years. Lucy is a member of the Italian-American Club in Mahopac and contributes much of her time to the many social and cultural events sponsored by its Putnam Festivities Committee. Lucy has worked for DeFeo Manufacturing, a family-owned business, for over 28 years and has been a distributor of Skahlee for over 20 years. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her two grandchildren.