Here in the Mahoning Valley, we are very fortunate to have many amazing local entities that want to help the children in this area. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Jeff Watkins from the Youngstown chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that builds and delivers beds or bunk beds to children between the ages of 3 and 17 who do not have a bed of their own. Their Mission Statement is “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town!"
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Like many other charities, SHP started in a garage. In December of 2012, Luke Mickelson learned of a family in his hometown whose children slept on the floor without beds. It was unfathomable to him, and he knew he had to do something about it. So Luke assembled a group of friends and family, and the first set of bunk beds were built and given to this family in need. This simple act of kindness and service developed into something more; with wood leftover, another thought came "Who else could benefit from a set of bunk beds?"
With another set of bunks built, he posted the beds "free to a family in need" on Facebook, which sparked an unexpected response. What was thought would be a handful of requests from families in need of a bed for their kiddos also turned into a litany of local people eager to help and volunteer. The generosity of these volunteers was so surprising that it was no longer a search for one who needed a bed but a question of how many beds he could provide. From there, the idea grew into reality, and the word started to spread; Luke's friends and friends of friends wanted to be involved in "their towns," and chapters began forming, totaling nine by December 2017. And over 250 currently!
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The Youngstown Chapter of SHP began in 2018/2019, since it's start they have made and delivered over 400 beds for kids in our area! I asked Jeff Watkins, what their goals for the future are and he had this to say, "Our goals are to get kids off the floor AND bring the community together to make that happen! With recent events many people are feeling more distant than ever so why not bring them together for a good cause? We would love to expand our team of dedicated volunteers as well. We need Build Members and Delivery Teams. All training is provided!"
Recently, Sleep in Heavenly Peace - OH, Youngstown participated in Bunks Across America, an annual event where they get as many chapters together to build on the same day all over the country! This year, the event took place on September 10th and over 150 chapters participated!
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Looking for ways you can help this amazing organization? SHP - OH, Youngstown typically hosts delivery days on the 3rd weekend of each month and also has build days as well! Check out their website or Facebook page to find more information on how to volunteer.
Anyone who is need of a bed for their child, age 3-17, can apply at https://www.facebook.com/SHPYoungstown.
