Mike Watkins was introduced to the nonprofit organization Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) while watching an episode of Mike Rowe’s 2018 reality web series “Returning the Favor.” The group, which makes and delivers beds to children in need, was born from a single service project in SHP founder Luke Mickelson’s garage in 2012. Mickelson had intended to build just one bed for a specific family at Christmastime but had enough leftover wood to make a second. He built and posted the free extra bed on Facebook and was overwhelmed with responses both from people in need and from others wanting to donate to the cause of providing beds for kids in need.
When Mike shared the story with his wife, Eileen, they both agreed it was something they needed to do. After reaching out to friends for help, the pair opened the first Ohio chapter of SHP, in Butler County.
“We didn’t know how big the need would be, but once the bed requests started coming in, they never stopped,” says Mike, who is the Butler County chapter president. They are the 22nd chapter of what has grown into 350 chapters nationwide and SHP Canada.
Chapters provide free beds to children ages 3 to 17 through a process that begins with a simple online application and ends with a hand-built bed delivered within two weeks to two months of approval, depending on the number of children on the waiting list. The Watkins’ Butler County chapter, the first of 13 SHP chapters currently established in Ohio, recently met the milestone of delivering its 2,500th bed since its start just over five years ago. In total, SHP has delivered more than 100,000 beds since 2012.
“Some of these children have been sleeping on the floor or couch, in bed with their parents, or even on a pallet,” Eileen says. They come from a variety of situations and circumstances. Some are in families struggling to make ends meet; others are domestic violence victims or live with single parents who are starting over. Some need a new bed because they lost their old one to a bed bug infestation. SHP also gets requests from social workers and school liaisons on behalf of families in need.
One particularly memorable delivery involved a young single dad living in a two-bedroom apartment with his daughter. The man’s sister had tragically died in a car accident. “He received custody of his two nieces, and we helped out with a set of bunk beds for them,” says Mike. “It was one less thing he had to worry about during an extremely difficult time for his entire family.”
The twin beds given to qualifying recipients are constructed by a core team of volunteers with additional help from the community during Build Days set up throughout the year and typically sponsored by local organizations, churches or businesses. “Employees or members of the sponsoring group will do it as a team-building event or a way for them to unite and give back,” Mike says.
The biggest challenge they have in their bed-making efforts is meeting the present need. “We get new requests every single day,” says Eileen. On several occasions when posts on their social media have gone viral, they’ve received as many as 25 requests in a day.
The applications are vetted and scheduled for delivery, explains Eileen, Butler County’s delivery manager. Delivery teams of five to six people assemble the beds in the homes of the families receiving them.
Adds Mike, “If the children are home when we put the beds together, we try to surprise them and do a big reveal when we’re finished. Seeing their faces is absolutely the best part.”
When asked what has surprised them most in their time working with SHP, both Mike and Eileen mention the volunteers who help make it all happen. “There have been times when volunteers reunite with each other after many years,” Mike says. “It’s great to see that connection happen again.”
Sometimes a parent whose child received a bed decides to pay it forward and volunteer. “I’ve been amazed by the number of people who want to help,” Eileen says. “Not everyone is comfortable building or delivering a bed, but there are people who make blankets, buy bedding or donate money. There are so many ways to get involved.”
The total cost of each bed is $250. Every bed delivered comes with a new twin mattress, sheets, comforter and a pillow. Ninety percent of the monetary donations SHP receives stays with the local chapters to cover lumber, bedding, tools and warehouse costs. The remaining 10 percent goes to corporate and is allocated to other expenses, including website, insurance, legal and accounting. Butler County’s chapter, which is entirely run by volunteers with no paid staff, also has Target and Amazon wish list registries that may be contributed to.
Other Southwest Ohio chapters include Warren County, Clinton County and Montgomery County. The Butler County chapter also services a portion of Hamilton County. New chapters of SHP are forming all the time as word continues to spread. “National recognition is also happening,” Mike says. “Lowe’s is a major national donor.”
When the Butler County chapter needs volunteers, they post it on their Facebook page.
“We’re fortunate to have a core group of volunteers who continue to step up and support this mission,” Mike says. “We have also benefitted from dozens of local high school students willing to serve others in our community, but the need is great.”
The benefit of taking part in SHP’s mission goes beyond providing beds for kids who need them, Eileen says. It’s about those young people feeling loved and their families feeling supported. “The most rewarding aspect of this mission is knowing that whoever submits the application for a bed for their child knows that someone cares,” she says. “Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help, and I hope that when they see their child sleeping in a bed of their own, they are happy they reached out to us.”
To volunteer, donate or learn more about the nonprofit organization Sleep in Heavenly Peace, visit shpbeds.org or SHPButlerOH on Facebook. Interested in helping build beds on a regular basis? Contact Mike Watkins at mike.watkins@shpbeds.org.