More local kids now rest easy – Dothan Eagle

The organization has been here four times since Hurricane Michael and has built 150 bunk beds; that effort has given 300 local children a safe and comfortable place to lay their heads at night, providing comfort in what can be troubled times for the youngsters and their families.

On the latest trip, last Saturday, Sept. 12, the organization built and assembled 32 bunk beds, to put 64 kids in fresh new sleeping quarters.

Each family had to apply for and go through a screening process to receive a hand-made bed, which included, in addition to the frame, the mattress, bedding and pillows needed to make it a complete package of comfort.

Natalie Parker of RCC in a press release expressed thanks to the organization for its assistance and noted its importance to the welfare of local children under challenging circumstances.

Tallahassee chapter president John Cousins said the need is still present in Jackson County and that the organization hopes to come back and build more.

The application process for this round had to be suspended at some point as the build approached, so many were coming in.

It costs about $350 to build and outfit a bunk bed of the quality one might find in a retail store for about $1,000, Cousins estimated. Sponsors help provide those funds and volunteers do all the labor. There’s only one paid person working for Sleep In Heavenly Peace — that’s an accountant. Everyone else in the 200-chapter group labors for free. Cousins, for instance, gets nothing but internal rewards for all he does to organize, coordinate, find sponsors and hammer nails on the projects. The founder and Executive Director Luke Nicholson, a resident of Twin Falls, Idaho, also works for free.

Volunteers range in age from four years old to 90 years old. “We teach everyone,” Cousins said. “It’s a process, starting with sanding lumber. Volunteers can learn a lot if they don’t know how to do things like drilling holes, assembling headboards and foot rails. We also stain and brand each bed. Our mission is to get kids off the floor. We had 105 applicants in four days (for the latest Jackson County build). There’s a tremendous need for more and we’re going to try to come back. We’ve had fantastic partnerships with Rivertown Community Church and Innovative Charities.”

Businesses, churches and community groups, along with individuals can sponsor or give at any level. All the money donated to the Tallahassee chapter stays with that chapter to help youngsters in its Big Bend coverage area, which includes Jackson and Calhoun counties.

Groups with special skills, like the two quilters clubs in Tallahassee that have donated some custom-made quilts, are also welcome partners. Every dollar and every contribution of labor counts, Cousins said. “We spend 95 percent of our funds on the building and outfitting of the beds,” he said. And to have those quilts, he noted, really helped in a couple of ways. It saved money and it gave children something that was made by loving hands.

As for the other five percent of funds? That goes to replace tools like the heavily-used drills and sanders the teams put to the task for hours at a time.