WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Speaker John Baker told Rotarians of his involvement with the newly formed Waynesboro chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that uses volunteer help to build beds for children in need.
He said the organization started in 2012 when founder Luke Mickelson, learning a child in his town of Twin Falls, Idaho, lacked a bed, joined with local Boy Scouts to build one for her. With extra material on hand, they built another bed, and soon more requests started coming in.
The idea spread to other areas. Other chapters were formed, and 1,000 beds were built in the first five years. A turning point came when podcaster Mike Rowe featured the organization in 2018, and in the next seven years more than 200,000 beds were built.
There are now 423 Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapters, covering about a quarter of the U.S. population.
The beds are of a simple, rustic style, put together with 2-by-4 lumber and a lot of volunteer help. Lowe’s has been a big support of the program, Baker said. The building process emphasizes volunteer community involvement. Complicated processes are avoided, and efficiency is not stressed. The priority is helping children.
“There are no words to capture the look on a child’s face when they get a bed,” Baker said.
Donations and volunteer help are welcome. Baker said information about the group can easily be found with an online search.
