No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town is the motto of a volunteer-driven, non-profit charity group called Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Founder Luke Mickelson started making beds in his garage about 10 years ago and now there are more than 300 chapters in more than 44 states making and delivering beds for children in low-income households.
First Presbyterian Church of Quincy partnered with this group and last weekend with the help of about 20 volunteers built 30 beds in 2 ½ hours right in the middle of a thunderstorm. They delivered 12 of the beds last weekend and the rest will be delivered soon all over Gadsden County along with the sheets, pillows, quilts and mattresses. Soon 30 children who were otherwise sleeping in chairs, on couches, or on floors will have a comfortable bed of their own and can get a good night’s sleep. Something that most of us take for granted can be so life changing for others. The group’s goal is to make 500 beds this year.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace believes that a bed is a basic need for proper physical, emotional,
and mental support that a child needs. Studies have shown that the proper sleep for children is vital for their physical health by supporting their immune systems to prevent many diseases and disorders. Children who sleep in their own beds feel safer and more cared for which decreases the amount of anxiety and depression they might feel. Children who get a good night’s sleep do much better in school as they can concentrate better, have better decision making and problem-solving ability, more motivation to learn, and less behavioral problems.
What a blessing for Sleep In Heavenly Peace and First Presbyterian Church of Quincy for all they are doing to give our Gadsden County children a comfortable place to sleep in a bed of their own. Big thank you to all the volunteers, young and old alike, who come together to serve the community and donate time out of their busy weekends to build and deliver these beds, for those who donate money to this cause, to those who make the quilts for these beds, and for everyone else involved in this great mission. It is truly a community project that does as much for the volunteers as it does for the children of Gadsden County.
Paula Phillips – Gadsden County News Service
