About Pillows with Wings
Pillows with Wings is a faith-forward 501c3 nonprofit organization established in 2018 to deliver educational pathways to resilience for children—regardless of their circumstances or location. We are on a mission to build resilience and strengthen faith for lifelong success.
The challenges children face today are significant. Nearly 20% of U.S. children ages 3–17 live with a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. Rates of depression and anxiety have risen sharply, particularly during the pandemic years. At Pillows with Wings, we believe that emotional health, grounded in faith, is essential to lifelong well-being.
- Our journey began with a story. When our founder, Karen Ellenbecker, was raising her granddaughters during a difficult time, a special pillowcase helped them talk, cry, pray, and heal. That pillowcase became the heart of the book My Pillow Has Wings — and the inspiration for our K–8 Program: Building Resilience and Strengthening Faith.
We know children today face big feelings and tough situations. Nearly 1 in 5 kids in the U.S. struggles with emotional or behavioral challenges. We want to help them face life with courage and hope.
So we created thoughtful, engaging, faith-forward programs that teach kids how to:
- Understand their emotions
- Build empathy and kindness
- Make good choices
- Trust God through it all
From our first small pilot in 2023 with just 150 students, we’ve now reached over 2,500 children—and we’re growing fast. Our goal is to serve over 5,000 students across 25 Christian schools in 2025/26 school year.
Today, Pillows with Wings is building a brighter future for children everywhere. Our mission is clear: to build resilience and strengthen faith for lifelong success. Our vision is to become a global Christian learning platform that nurtures minds, hearts, and communities. Our program, Building Resilience and Strengthening Faith is evidence-informed and faith-based. We offer engaging, age-appropriate learning programs rooted in Christian values to support emotional development and social-emotional learning.
Each curriculum module emphasizes emotional intelligence, family engagement, and spiritual growth. We focus on practical tools: goal setting, conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and empathy development—all centered on Christ.
At Pillows with Wings, we believe strong kids grow into strong leaders. And with faith as their foundation, they can change the world.