Often the most visible evidence of poverty, homelessness or food insecurity, gets the most attention. On Sunday, Jan. 16, area volunteers got together at Flossmoor Public Works to tackle a less visible problem.
Bedlessness.
“Bedlessness is not a real word but it is a real problem,” said Dave King, president of the Oak Forest chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and delivering beds to children who have none.
The project struck a chord with Flossmoor Community Relations Commission member Jackie Riffice, who said she heard about SHP from a local resident who did a fundraising project for the organization.
She knew right away a bed building event would be perfect for the commission to sponsor on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Larry Szymanski of Flossmoor wields a drill while Renee Lamb of Homewood holds the bed frame parts still. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
“The light bulb went off because I was really unaware that people in our Southland community have kids that don’t have beds,” she said. “I think it was the right fit for what we wanted to do, but it also was an awakening that there are so many who need so much.”
Flossmoor Fire Chief Bob Kopec said the project is one his department was glad to support.
“This is very dear to me and a lot of first responders,” he said. “We go into some of these homes and really see. Though we think every child has a nice warm bed, the reality is sometimes they don’t. We truly understand the need and support the mission.”
King, who owns a dog daycare service, said he got involved in SHP three years ago when he encountered bedlessness first hand. He learned that an employee of his company did not have his own bed.
“We helped him get a bed of his own,” he said. “A week later I was buying beds for dogs, and I felt guilty buying beds for dogs knowing there were children sleeping on the floor.”
King and other SHP volunteers brought all the materials and tools to set up an assembly line. Ruffice said the CRC and other local sponsors mainly had to bring together enough volunteers to build the beds.
She said the community seemed to recognize the importance of providing beds to youngsters. Organizers had hoped 30 workers would sign up; 61 showed up to sand, drill, stain and assemble 10 beds.
The materials for each bed cost $250, and the money to support the event was raised by the Flossmoor Volunteer Fire Department Corporation with help from the Sunnycrest Fire Protection District, Riffice said.
Local organizers also posted a wish list on Amazon.com seeking donations of bed sheets, blankets, pillows and comforters. Riffice said the goal was to provide bedding for the 10 beds.
“We got 22 of each,” she said. “So through the goodness of the local community, the wish list was filled above and beyond.”
King said he has learned from SHP how important having a bed can be to children’s physical and mental health.
According to the SHP website, beds are important to help children sleep well, and 2% to 3% of children in the U.S. do not have their own beds. Chronic poor sleep can affect physical growth, contribute to anxiety and depression, increase frequency of sickness and emotional instability.
“I think the impact a bed can have is so significant it almost can’t be measured,” King said. “The overall benefits to health, well being, outlook on life will change. We’re delivering more than a bed. This gives them the ability to dream.”
Evidence of the impact a bed can have is seen in the faces of children who receive one, King said. Parents will occasionally send the organization photos of kids with their new beds.
“It’s not often that you’ll see a child who wants to go to bed at six in the evening when the sun is still up, but when you deliver a bed to a child who has never had one, we see that quite often,” he said.
King said the Oak Forest chapter has delivered 300 beds in the past three years. He sees that as just the start. The organization’s motto is “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town,” and King would like to see that come true in every south suburban community.
He appears to have a new ally in that quest. Riffice said the CRC hopes to sponsor a build-a-bed event every year from now on.