Nicole Kosoff - Pajama Mama Club

WOODLAND HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Nicole Kosoff organized a club at her school, El Camino Real High School. But it's not the usual type of after-school club. The purpose of the Pajama Mama Club is to make pajamas for kids in need.

"Why not do Pajama Mama? Especially because, you know, we're making pajamas and helping kids, so that's kind of nurturing," said Nicole.

She said pajamas can be a symbol of comfort and caring, something she knows many young kids who live in difficult circumstances are in need of.

"I'm really grateful for everything I have, and I want to be able to help others and give them a sense of security," said Nicole.

In addition to what she gives them now, Nicole sees how this work can have benefits beyond the present.

"I feel like it might have an influence on them in the future, that if they get to a place where maybe they can help others," said Nicole.

And she truly loves the work she is doing. Nicole would even like to expand her Pajama Mama Club.

"I plan to go to college and then hopefully maybe even start the club at the college and connect back to El Camino and work together to keep this going," said Nicole.

With needle, thread and lots of heart, Nicole Kosoff brings comfort to children when they need it most.

Logan J. Pazol - Video Game for Charity

UPTON —  Twelve-year-old Logan J. Pazol, like most kids his age, likes video games. 

The Miscoe Hill seventh-grader also was deeply attached to his grandmother, retired Milford schoolteacher Regina Bianchi Frabotta, whom he saw several times a week.

After Mrs. Frabotta died last March at age 78 from lung cancer, Logan — with some help from his father, Brian N. Pazol — came up with an idea to honor his grandmother by creating and selling a video game app on iTunes to raise money for pediatric cancer research and treatment.

The project serves as the charitable service Logan must undertake in preparation for his Bar Mitzvah this coming March. Logan hopes to sell 10,000 of his “Donut Fighter” games, at 99 cents each, by March 3. He will donate all of the proceeds (70 cents of each sale; Apple takes a third), even after his Bar Mitzvah, to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

The object of the game, which can be played on iPhones, iPods or iPads, is for the player to box 10 rounds with a man-sized pink-frosted doughnut with sprinkles.

Logan explained how he came up with the pastry-martial arts theme: “I was playing another game that had to do with doughnuts and (my 10-year-old brother) Brody likes karate.”
Neither Logan, Brody nor his parents have gotten through all 10 rounds to win, making it only as far as Round Seven.

“But that was by design,” Mr. Pazol said. “When you buy a game and in 10 minutes you get right to the end, you're never going to want to play it again.”

Logan started making some simple platform-jumping video games two years ago, when he was a fifth-grader. Donut Fighter is the first game that he's really had to learn programming language to develop.

“It was all code: no dragging and dropping,” Logan said, “so it was very difficult.” It took him three or four months to create the game.

Apple provided tools and an on-screen iPhone simulator with which he developed the game. The Pazols had to pay a $100 registration fee to put it on an iPhone to beta-test and sell it on Apple's online iTunes store.

The whole family tested Donut Fighter before it was submitted on Dec. 3: Logan and Brody tested it on iPods and parents Brian and Lisa tested it on iPads and iPhones.

The family also got involved in marketing the game. Ms. Pazol sent out press releases and set up a Facebook page for Jimmy Donut. 

“I came up with the name of Jimmy,” Brody said, because “jimmies” is a regional term for sprinkles.

Besides the technical development, Logan needed to connect with a cancer center that would agree to receive his donated proceeds. Different fund-raising structures among institutions made this task more challenging than the Pazols had expected.

“It was a little bit difficult getting to use the charity's name,” Mr. Pazol said. “The Jimmy Fund flat-out turned us down. St. Jude was much more accommodating.”

Jackie Harris, director of volunteer event marketing at St. Jude, said in an email: “St. Jude has treated children from Massachusetts and every other state and also children from around the world. Because we freely share our research with the global medical community, we're able to help children who never even visit St. Jude.

“Because of the generosity of our donors, we are able to continue to ensure that families never pay St. Jude for anything. We cover the cost of treatment, travel, food and lodging for each patient and a family member.”

As of Thursday morning, 301 Donut Fighter apps had been sold on iTunes, Logan said. The responses have been positive, including one review that described it as “the most epic game in the world.”

It's also heightened an interest in Logan to develop more videogames, perhaps as a future career.

He's already working on another game he hopes to sell.

Mr. Pazol said, “At his age, it's kind of hard to keep his focus for five months; but it was for charity and it kept him motivated. Logan's worked really hard and we'd like to give a big, fat check to St. Jude.” 

Elliot Mast & Jaxson Thornton - For The Kids Organization

Elliot Mast and Jaxson Thornton are both 12 year old kids that just both happen to be wonderful athletes and have a passion for helping others.  They are the organizers of a charity organization called "For The Kids."  Elliot started this organization to give back to the children's hospital that helped him learn how to not just live with a club foot, but how to compete as an athlete with his disability.  Jaxson Thornton wanted to find a way to help others, and while researching different charity opportunities came across Elliot's story and was captivated by Elliot's approach to use his baseball stats as a fundraising idea.  Jaxson plays many different sports, and loved the idea of how he could get sponsors for his sports, and the better he performed, the more money he could raise for his charity, The Austin Children's Shelter.  Jaxson reached out to Elliot, and through phone conversations the two formed a friendship and a working partnership to grow For The Kids into an organization that other kids can utilize to use their sports talents to benefit charity groups.  For The Kids is an organization that these two young boys are committed to building up and raising real funds for charities.  This fall they have raised over $5,000 for their charities, and the spring season is lining up to blow that number away.

It is great to see these two boys using their athletic gifts in such a way of contribution to the help of others in need.

You can follow For The Kids on Facebook.