9-year-old turns bedtime thoughts into action with pillow drive for homeless
Ty Kolonsky's mom, Jill, said it was one of those nights 鈥� her 9-year-old resisting bedtime.
"He kind of, like, looked up at me like, 'I have a problem.' And I'm like, OK. And he's, you know, you're kind of bracing yourself," Jill said.
Ty explained, 鈥淚 had three pillows, and the homeless had none. When we鈥檙e going through the streets of Pittsburgh, we see a whole bunch of homeless people. And I think of all the stuff they don鈥檛 have."
Ty couldn't donate used pillows, but was determined to help.
鈥淚 took my money, and I went and bought two pillows. And my dad said, 'Whatever you buy, I'll double it. So, he bought four, and my nana offered to buy six. So, we got nine total. And so then, I took those, and my mom thought we were done. I told her no. So, like a couple nights later, I told her to put out on Facebook," Ty said.
Jill and her husband, Kevin, are in awe. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e just so thankful because we鈥檙e very real with the kids and talk with them about the things that they see and the things they experience. And for him to come up with that idea on his own, it was just incredible," she said.
After spreading the word at school, church, and his 4H group, Ty鈥檚 collection grew exponentially. The total now is 129 pillows, 68 pillowcases and four blankets.
Saturday, Ty will host a pillow exchange with residents of the Saint Joseph House of Hospitality in Pittsburgh鈥檚 Crawford-Roberts neighborhood.
鈥淭he guys feel super appreciated, and they can connect to other human beings, which for them is a big thing. Many of them have cut all ties and burned all bridges. So to have somebody caring about them is a really big thing. And then, of course, it鈥檚 just the comfort of having your own brand-new pillow. For some of us, that鈥檚 a quick trip to the store. But for them, that鈥檚 a huge luxury,鈥� said Susan Rauscher, CEO of Catholic Charities.
Donations are still being accepted, and anyone who wants to contribute can email [email protected].