BERLIN – A bestselling author returned to Worcester Preparatory School this week with the founder of a national nonprofit to speak on kindness.
On Tuesday, Laura Schroff, author of The New York Times Best Seller “An Invisible Thread,” visited Worcester Prep students in grades three through eight to share the story behind her newest book “Angels on Earth.” In recent weeks, lower and middle school students read portions of Schroff’s new book as part of a year-long focus on kindness.
This was Schroff’s second visit to Worcester Prep this school year. In the fall, upper school students had the opportunity to hear Schroff speak about her book “An Invisible Thread,” which tells the true story of the author’s chance encounter with an 11-year-old panhandler named Maurice and the years she spent mentoring him. The book touches on the importance of small acts of kindness and the value of relationships.
Schroff said “Angels on Earth,” is a compilation of short stories from individuals and the chance encounters with strangers that changed their lives.
“In ‘An Invisible Thread’ and on my website I asked those with an invisible thread story to share them with me,” she said. “Before I knew it, I started receiving stories from people who had someone in their life who made a profound difference.”
Through her book and speaking engagements, Schroff said she hopes students will learn the effect kindness has on those around them.
“’Angels on Earth’ is about the power of fate and human connection and how we can all make a difference in the lives of others if we just open up our eyes and hearts to our surroundings,” she said. “They can all do small acts of kindness.”
Accompanying Schroff on Tuesday was Pajama Program founder Genevieve Piturro, whose own story was featured in a chapter of “Angels on Earth.”
The chapter tells the story of Piturro, a marketing executive in New York who started to volunteer at emergency shelters for children and found that many of the children did not own pajamas.
“Laura included me in her book, ‘Angels on Earth,’ in a chapter called The Purpose,’” she said. “It’s about finding your purpose and how I stumbled onto mine when a little girl I was reading to in a shelter asked me what pajamas were.”
In 2001, Piturro launched the Pajama Program, a national nonprofit that collects and distributes new books and pajamas to children in need. To date, the nonprofit has donated more than five million books and pajamas to receiving organizations.
Piturro said she hopes her story will teach students to be aware of needs within their community.
“I always talk about keeping your eyes and ears open for something that makes you change the course your life is on,” she said. “It happens all the time and we don’t always pay attention.”
Laura Holmes, head of the lower school, and Megan Wallace, head of the middle school, noted that Schroff’s book propelled other kindness initiatives at school in recent weeks. In addition to activities, assignments and school programs that promote kindness, students were also asked to wear and bring new pajamas the day of the assembly.
“We decided if they were going to come talk about the Pajama Program, what a great day it would be to wear our jammies and bring our jammies,” Holmes said.
She estimated that students donated nearly 300 pajamas to the Pajama Program.
Lolita Justice-Watkins, president of the Pajama Program’s DC-Maryland chapter, said pajamas donated at Tuesday’s event will be given to children who live in the area.
“All the pajamas that are here today will be distributed to receiving organizations within the community,” she said.
