Can we build 8,000 beds for kids in one day?

It’s widely understood that sleep quality can have a major impact on a person’s life, particularly for developing children, but it can be difficult to get a good night’s sleep without a proper bed.

This is something Sleep in Heavenly Peace understands all too well and that’s precisely why the now-international organization was originally founded.

“A bed is a fundamental necessity for a child’s well-being,” Sleep in Heavenly Peace Executive Director Jordan Allen explained. “By providing a safe and comfortable place to sleep, we are investing in their physical, emotional and mental development.”

With a goal of furnishing families’ households with not just bed frames but all that goes with it, the nonprofit is continuously working to fulfill its motto, “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”

Starting in 2012 from its humble beginnings in the Idaho garage of Luke Mickelson, the nonprofit has grown to include over 300 chapters in the United States and has a presence in four countries. In the last 12 years, over 140,000 beds have been presented to children who did not previously have one.

But the need is ever-present. There are still many thousands of youth who are sleeping on couches, air mattresses and floors, including children right here in the Pahrump area.

To help meet that need, each year Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapters all around the country mobilize for a massive undertaking, titled Bunks Across America, and the 2024 effort is striving to be the most productive yet.

“This year’s Bunks Across America is aiming high, with an ambitious goal of engaging 15,000 volunteers to construct or deliver a staggering 8,000 beds in a single day,” information from the national organization states.

Doing its part to fulfill that goal will be the team with Nye County Sleep in Heavenly Peace, but these volunteers cannot do it alone. They will need plenty of helping hands in order to construct as many bed frames as possible during the nationwide initiative.

“Bunks Across America is set for this Saturday and this is our largest build of the year, with all the chapters joining in and building beds with their communities,” Nye County Sleep in Heavenly Peace President Carmen Murzyn announced.

“I’d like to let everybody know, we’d love for them to come out. We’ll barbecue some hotdogs and have plenty of water for our guests who take part and we really hope to see a big turnout of our great community members! I have a feeling this is going to be a bigger build than we’ve ever had in the past,” Murzyn continued. “If people would like, they can also bring out new sets of twin-size sheets, blankets or pillows. And remember, you don’t need to have any experience or construction skills to volunteer, we’ll train everyone right on site.”

The local chapter’s Bunks Across America bed build is slated for 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2731 S. Woodchips Road.

For more information visit SHPBeds.org or call Murzyn at 775-910-8921.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com