Photos by Jamie Plain
One night in the fall of 2019, while most of Owensboro was fast asleep, Bruce Sheldon was working a swing shift at a local power plant and happened upon a website called “Sleep in Heavenly Peace.” Intrigued and inspired, Sheldon left work that morning eager to find out what it would take to become involved.
One night in the fall of 2019, while most of Owensboro was fast asleep, Bruce Sheldon was working a swing shift at a local power plant and happened upon a website called “Sleep in Heavenly Peace.” Intrigued and inspired, Sheldon left work that morning eager to find out what it would take to become involved.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a national non-profit 501(C)(3) with local chapters all over the United States. Its motto, “No kids sleep on the floor in our town” conveys the purpose of the organization: to build and distribute beds to children ages 3-18 who don’t have a bed in which to sleep. Research shows that a bed is a basic need for a child to be able to cope mentally, physically, and emotionally.
According to the website, two to three percent of children across America do not have a bed. As Sheldon would come to find out, locally that translates to a need for 1,200 to 1,800 beds. “After discovering the site, I learned that the closest chapter to us (in Owensboro) was in Mayfield,” Sheldon says.
The in-roads he made to starting a chapter here soon led him to Twin Falls, Idaho – the headquarters of Sleep in Heavenly Peace – for vetting and training. At training, Sheldon and Brian Burn, who accompanied him, learned it would take about $4000 to get a local chapter up and running. That was accomplished relatively quickly, and Sheldon and his crew began making beds in the fall of 2020. However, their efforts were soon derailed by COVID-19 and subsequent shutdowns.
In the time since the pandemic, the Owensboro chapter has built and delivered about 600 beds. “Builds” (just what it sounds like – a one day workshop to build and assemble beds) are held on the second Saturday of each month at the Daviess County Fairgrounds. People or groups interested in helping should reach out to the chapter via its Facebook page before the date of the build. “We’ve had a lot of church groups and Scout troops,” Sheldon says, noting that individuals can come, too. “There’s something for everybody, and you don’t have to have any experience in using tools,” he says, “but if you are under 17, you should be accompanied by an adult.” There is also a need for donated items and funds to purchase materials. New bedding comes with each bed. “We always need new pillows, sheet sets, and comforters – all twin size,” he says.
Nicole Leach, whose day job is, rather fittingly, Supervisor of Community Engagement at Owensboro Health, serves as the Delivery Manager for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. She does volunteer scheduling and coordinates the delivery of beds to families. “My husband and I had just moved back (to the area) and I saw someone shared it on Facebook, and there was going to be a build day,” she says. “I decided to go give it a try and have been a regular volunteer ever since.” Leach said that before getting involved with the non-profit, she didn’t realize “all the tentacles of a good night’s sleep” and how a bed and proper sleep is linked to social and academic growth.
The success of Owensboro’s chapter has spread, and now there are chapters in Evansville and Bowling Green. Thanks to the hard work of volunteers like Sheldon, Leach, and others, our community has fewer children without a bed of their own. To find out more, check out the chapter’s website or Facebook page. You’ll rest well knowing you made a difference.
