Our Mission - Serving Seniors Together!

We believe that ALL seniors deserve to be loved and recognized as valuable contributors to our society. They have helped raise us. They have been our teachers, our neighbors and our cherished family members. Our mission at Pajamas for Seniors is to return that love and kindness one pajama at a time. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving DFW and Arkansas. With your support we can make a difference!

Our Story

As a seasoned hospice and home care nurse, I saw firsthand patients being admitted to nursing homes with only one possession: an old threadbare hospital gown. Necessities like a warm set of pajamas to sleep in were a rare luxury. With the fastest growing demographic in the country being the elderly, there are not enough nonprofits that support low & no-income seniors. I started this nonprofit to bring dignity to our precious seniors by giving the simple gift of new sleepwear.

Pajamas for Seniors strives to increase awareness to the needs of seniors living in nursing homes. Many nursing home residents have few visitors if any. When our staff and volunteers arrive with new pajamas, we see faces light up. We often hear “Is this a gift for me?” Without resources or family support or means to purchase new sleepwear, the residents are delighted to receive new and comfortable sleepwear.

I’m grateful to my Grandmother. She instilled upon me the importance of giving back to the most disadvantaged members of our society. While I was growing up in Slidell, Louisiana we visited nursing homes together. I could see even then the loneliness and isolation the nursing home residents experienced. Today, I can truly say that Pajamas for Seniors is making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable seniors and my Grandmother would be so proud.

We are happy to tell you that we delivered over 500 pajamas to seniors in need during our Bunny Box Campaign. Our Peaches, Pajamas and Picnic event brought in funds and a great surprise of 100 pajamas from Congregation Shearith Israel and Hanes Wear. Our goal is to raise $100,000 which would allow us to give away over 8,000 pairs of new pajamas. Our major event for the year will be our Casino Nite-Nite with the hopes of raising significant funds towards our goal. In Dallas County alone there are 16,000 adults residing in nursing homes. We would like to bring Pajamas for Seniors to Collin and Tarrant Counties as well. Far too many seniors are living in the lowest income areas of DFW metroplex. We need your support! With your generous donations we can make the lives of our precious seniors a little brighter today.

With Heartfelt Gratitude for Your Kindness & Support,
Jo Alch, R.N.
Founder & Executive Director, Pajamas for Seniors

Our Team

Founder & Executive Director, Pajamas for Seniorsjoalch@pajamasforseniors.org

Jo Alch is a registered nurse, having served 25 years in home healthcare and hospice. She founded Acappella In Home Care, a premiere private duty nursing company in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex. As Founder and CEO, she catapulted Acappella to 400 strong. Under her leadership, she organized an annual Pajama Drive at Christmastime for underprivileged seniors resulting in the collection and distribution of thousands of new pajamas. With Jo’s strong desire to assist seniors, coupled with her sense of community outreach, Pajamas For Seniors was founded in 2019. Jo is the recipient of multiple awards of excellence including “Great 100 RN’s of DFW” and D Magazine’s “Best in Home Care”. Jo speaks frequently on raising the awareness to the needs of seniors at the local, state and national level conferences. She is also a frequent podcast featured guest.

Jo Alch, R.N.

Founder & Executive Director, Pajamas for Seniorsjoalch@pajamasforseniors.org

Jo Alch is a registered nurse, having served 25 years in home healthcare and hospice. She founded Acappella In Home Care, a premiere private duty nursing company in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex. As Founder and CEO, she catapulted Acappella to 400 strong. Under her leadership, she organized an annual Pajama Drive at Christmastime for underprivileged seniors resulting in the collection and distribution of thousands of new pajamas. With Jo’s strong desire to assist seniors, coupled with her sense of community outreach, Pajamas For Seniors was founded in 2019. Jo is the recipient of multiple awards of excellence including “Great 100 RN’s of DFW” and D Magazine’s “Best in Home Care”. Jo speaks frequently on raising the awareness to the needs of seniors at the local, state and national level conferences. She is also a frequent podcast featured guest.

Director of Business Developmenttheresaj@pajamasforseniors.org

Theresa Strange Johnston has been in healthcare management all of her adult life, most of it in non-profit. She has spearheaded many special events for non-profits such as galas, golf and tennis tournaments, fun runs, health fairs, and bike rides, and capital campaigns to name a few. Her love of the senior population stems from working in hospice and as an executive director of a memory care assisted living. Theresa is an Alzheimer’s specialist and has spoken to thousands of family caregivers and caregiver staff on the topics of dementia, Alzheimer’s, understanding hospice and brain health. She worked at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas for 20 years followed by working at least 5 years at Memorial Hermann Hospice and Including Kids Center for Autism, Houston, TX, AutumnGrove Assisted Living, Houston and San Antonio, TX and Accord Hospice in Dallas, TX. She sits on the board for McKinney Historic Neighborhood Association and is on the planning committee for the McKinney Dia de los Muertos. In her spare time she loves reading and is an artist in McKinney. Her role with Pajamas for Seniors comes naturally to her and helps her continue her mission to help the senior population.

Theresa Johnson

Director of Business Developmenttheresaj@pajamasforseniors.org

Theresa Strange Johnston has been in healthcare management all of her adult life, most of it in non-profit. She has spearheaded many special events for non-profits such as galas, golf and tennis tournaments, fun runs, health fairs, and bike rides, and capital campaigns to name a few. Her love of the senior population stems from working in hospice and as an executive director of a memory care assisted living. Theresa is an Alzheimer’s specialist and has spoken to thousands of family caregivers and caregiver staff on the topics of dementia, Alzheimer’s, understanding hospice and brain health. She worked at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas for 20 years followed by working at least 5 years at Memorial Hermann Hospice and Including Kids Center for Autism, Houston, TX, AutumnGrove Assisted Living, Houston and San Antonio, TX and Accord Hospice in Dallas, TX. She sits on the board for McKinney Historic Neighborhood Association and is on the planning committee for the McKinney Dia de los Muertos. In her spare time she loves reading and is an artist in McKinney. Her role with Pajamas for Seniors comes naturally to her and helps her continue her mission to help the senior population.

Staff

Sabrina Chavolla

Logistics Managerinfo@pajamasforseniors.org

Board of Directors

Board 1

Board 2

Advisory Council

Advisory 1

Advisory 2

Junior Leaders

Junior 1