Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is a 501(c)3 national non-profit whose mission is to end child bedlessness and ensure that “No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in our Town!®” There are a total of seven chapters in Arkansas, one of them right here in Greenwood.
HISTORY
Luke and Heidi Mickelson founded SHP in 2012 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Around Christmastime, Mickelson had heard of children who were sleeping on the floor. He constructed beds and delivered them to the family. It became a yearly tradition. It wasn’t long before others wanted to do the same thing in their communities. Currently, there are over 300 Chapters Nationwide. Over 100,000 beds have been built.
LOCAL
Among the seven chapters in the State of Arkansas, Greenwood’s Sleep in Heavenly Peace. The chapter is spearheaded by Ken and Kim Fletcher.
“November 16 was our first build, we got 16 beds built,” shared Kim Fletcher. “It took us a few weeks to get all the bedding donations. As of today, we have delivered six beds for three different families, ages 3-17. We have another delivery that will take place after Christmas.”
Fletcher added that they have beds available and encourage anyone with a child in need of a bed to apply. “Our goal is for No Kid to Sleep on The Floor in our town.”
The couple stated they want to be able to expand and add zip codes to the program soon. They also encourage others to start a new chapter in their own community. “We will hopefully be able to expand and add zip codes soon. Also, we hope to encourage other people to start new Chapters in their community…Lowes gives every new chapter a startup fund for all the tools that are required. Lumber One and Yeagers have donated lumber and other supplies needed. Cheap Sleep in Fort Smith donated mattresses. Greater Fort Smith National Home Builders had a bedding drive and donated money as well.” Fletcher recognized that groups of friends and neighbors have helped with building the carts and jigs needed to have a build. Those friends also showed up to help build beds and do deliveries. “We post updates, pictures and scheduled builds on our Facebook page – Sleep in Heavenly Peace-AR, Greenwood. The bed builds are broken down into simple steps, anyone can help. We put the most experienced on the saws cutting each board, then we have a sanding station where every board is sanded. Then it goes to the drill press/drill station, followed by the assembly of headboards/slats and branding with SHP, which the kids love to help do. The last step is dipping all the boards in a solution of vinegar and steel wool, which helps deter pest… During training, which we did in Salt Lake City, a speaker said that by the time a child gets his bed, up to 100 pair of hands could have touched that bed. A combination of sawmills, mattress manufacturers, and volunteers during builds and deliveries.”
GET INVOLVED
There are 5266 kids in the US waiting on you to help them sleep tonight. How can you help? You can find out more about this national organization at Home – Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Locally, you can visit Sleep in Heavenly Peace – AR, Greenwood.
Requests for beds are done through the website https://shpbeds.org/apply/. There, you can enter the address with zip code, and it routes the request to the Greenwood Chapter. The local chapter receives an email. The Fletchers then reach out to the family for information verification.
All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads. Thank you to the Fletchers, and to the many volunteers and donors who help make this a possibility in our community!
