Building a Dream by crafting beds
A good night's sleep is important to many, but especially young children who are learning and developing.
On Friday afternoon, Jan. 24, students, faculty and staff honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy by working with Missouri Western State University's Center for Service, participating in the fourth annual "What Are You Doing for Others" day of service event.
"This is the event that really makes our students, get in and work and put these beds together," said Kim Sigrist, Director of the Center for Service at MWSU.
Volunteers participated in the first-ever Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed-building project. This non-profit builds and delivers beds to children who don't have one to sleep in.
Tonya Ball, a volunteer with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, has been involved in the St. Joseph area for five years and has made partnerships to ensure that no child sleeps on the floor.
"There are kids who are in class with their fellow students who maybe are struggling because they can't stay awake or maybe have some attention issues and sometimes that's a result of not getting a good night's sleep," Ball said.
Last year, Sleep in Heavenly Peace delivered 132 beds to the St. Joseph area and volunteers made 50 beds for the organization during the MWSU event on Friday, Jan. 24.
Volunteers used raw lumber and easy-to-use tools to build the handmade bunk beds.
More than new building skills, the MWSU football team took away valuable lessons in communication. Wide receiver, Brandon Tryon looked at the opportunity as a way to reflect on the past.
"It means so much just knowing that there are people out here doing this because when I was a kid me and my three siblings all shared the same bed and it would have been nicer to have somebody do this for us," Tryon said.
MWSU has hosted this day of service event on the first Friday of spring semester since 2022.
"We've been able to share the mission of Sleep in Heavenly Peace with our students so that they fully understand, that what they're doing at their station today, it's going to make a big difference," Sigrist said.
