On Saturday, September 14, our team headed over to our local Chattanooga chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) for their annual Bunks Across America national bed building day. In brief summary, it was incredible:
The stats matter. Here’s why: right now Chattanooga’s SHP chapter has a backlog of [I believe] close to 600 kids in the Chattanooga area waiting on their first bed. This year, we managed to build 118 beds in three hours, eclipsing the previous record!
Bed Sheets: Our Reason Why
For those of you who don’t know, Kristin and I never meant to get into the sheets business. It surprised us, too. We were inspired by Luke Mickelson’s story and SHP’s founding purpose to end child bedlessness across this country.
That’s why we created a 1-for-1 brand like Luff Sheets. It’s one thing to get the best sheets you ever experienced, but it’s something else entirely when you know what you’re sleeping on each night is helping a kid out there get a shot at the American dream.
Building Beds 101
From our perspective, there’s only three rules for bed-building day with SHP:
- Show up
- Help with a smile
- Prepare to be overwhelmed by the most loving, generous people in your city
Imagine 90 people from different walks of life uniting under one roof to solve a very specific problem: giving kids their first bed.
They don’t show up for the money, fame, or glitzy Instagram shots…because they won’t find any of those. Instead, they leave with full hearts knowing that every board cut, every headboard assembled, and every layer of wood stain is one step closer to their goal:
“No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”
Just Show Up
There’s a weird stigma about “volunteering” and “nonprofits” – it can feel like just another thing you have to do. We promise, sincerely promise, that if you go to Sleep In Heavenly Peace’s website and look for bed builds or bed delivery events near you, you won’t be the same.
It’s giving that gives life.
Thanks for reading. See you next time.
Josh and Kristin, Founders