Started just 14 years ago, Sleep in Heavenly Peace as an organization now has more than 325 chapters nationwide. Locally, a White County chapter started about 5 years ago and Bill Scroggins was part of that launch. The chapter serves beyond White County into Saline, Gallatin, and occasionally into McLeansboro. In late February, former chapter President Kyle Fenton turned the reins over to new leadership in Adam Sexton. He and Scroggins both dropped by Carmi Kiwanis Thursday to talk more about the mission and the need.
Scroggins is the building manager and says the organization has it down to a science and can build a bed in about 10 minutes. Sexton says there are three building blocks to the mission which is “No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town”.
We go out and raise money. We build beds. We deliver beds.
Each bed costs about $300 in materials including lumber, hardware, mattress, and bedding. All labor is volunteer. For the local chapter, Sexton says they make and deliver more than 100 beds annually.
We usually do, in the White County chapter, we usually do 100 – 110 beds a year. That comes to $30,000 per year that we have to generate or raise.
You can sign up to volunteer, apply for a bed, or make donations through the website https://shpbeds.org/chapter/il-white-co/ and you can also find the local chapter on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SHPILwhiteco/.
Getting involved and participating in build days can truly be a family affair with Scroggins saying there are jobs for everyone, even those as young as 5. What the chapter calls a “Core Bed Build” is coming up on Saturday, April 18th behind the 103 Coffee Shop. It should run from about 8am until noon and anyone is welcome to come and help build the beds. And the why? For Sexton, it just took one delivery for him to be sold on making a difference.
For me, my parents always had great jobs. I always had everything I needed. Beds, clothes, food, everything. I never lacked for nothing. And living here, I never really thought about people lacking for anything and definitely didn’t think about kids not having beds. I’m not sure if I was naïve or if I was just so focused on worrying about my kids and my family. But there are a lot of kids sleeping on the floor in our community. I went on a delivery, the first delivery I went to, and I saw these kids reactions and the smiles on their faces while we were putting their beds together. They would get on their and the smile on their face…the joy…how happy they were…I was hooked. That’s why I’m here.
The group is also actively seeking donations of new Twin “Bed in a Bag” sets and new pillows. They can be dropped off at 306 North Church Street in Carmi on Fridays between the hours of 8am – 10am.