‘They can serve their neighbors’: Nonprofit delivers beds to kids in need

There are tens of thousands of children in the metro area who don’t have beds to sleep in and are forced to sleep on the couch or the floor. But there’s a local chapter of a national nonprofit committed to changing that. It’s called Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Volunteers of all ages spent the morning sawing, sanding, and staining, all with one mission in mind: “Helping other people make beds,” said volunteer Ava Addonte. “For other kids who don’t have beds that need beds, so they don’t have to sleep on the couch,” said volunteer Vinnie Adair. That’s the goal of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. It’s a national organization committing to giving beds to kids in need. “I mean, if you think about getting a bad night’s sleep as an adult, just magnify that for a child, right? So, we serve kids between 3 and 17. Their bodies are still developing. Their brains are still developing,” said Greg Kraemer, the Omaha chapter vice president for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Through donations and volunteer help, the organization constructs bedframes, adds mattresses and sheets, and delivers them to families throughout the metro.”We have delivered beds to 15-year-olds who have never slept in a bed before, and when you see the reaction, that reaches inside you and changes you,” Kraemer said. A local radio station shared the news about the group, sparking interest in hundreds of neighbors. “My mom heard it on the radio, and she just told me about it, so I just took work off to come to this because I think it’s pretty fun,” said volunteer Gaige Brottem. The work can be “pretty fun” and also incredibly touching when volunteers deliver beds to their own neighbors.”I grew up in Miller, just down the road. I’ve delivered beds to the neighborhood that I grew up in. Some of the people that are building today will come back and help us deliver next week, and that’s when it really comes full circle. So, they can kind of they can serve their neighbors. In some cases, it really, means a lot,” Kraemer said.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |