Making a Difference: Sleep in Heavenly Peace aims to ensure no Central Oregon child sleeps on the floor
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- At KTVZ News, we focus our resources on bolstering the health and well-being of Central Oregon's youth—through our 21 Cares for Kids partnerships. This month we’re spotlighting Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a national nonprofit with a Deschutes County chapter that works to ensure no child sleeps on the floor.
“There's a lot of people in town that are doing good, and we're just one of them,” said Bob Mickelsen, the interim Deschutes County chapter president.
At Sleep in Heavenly Peace, the mission is simple: ensuring no child has to sleep on the floor.
"Sleep in Heavenly Peace is mission-centric... All we do is service kids that don't have beds," Mickelsen said. "If they don't have a bed, we give them a bed. How do we determine if they need a bed? Three things: They need a bed because they don't have one, they have a space to put the bed, and they’re between the ages of three and 17.”
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a national organization, but the Deschutes County chapter started making a difference in our community in 2020.
"This organization got started in Central Oregon because there wasn't one... My wife and I, when we retired, determined that we wanted to do something in a volunteer way. And we found Sleep in Heavenly Peace," Mickelsen said. "And they said, 'Well, we don't have a chapter in Central Oregon, so would you be willing to start one?' And we said, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.' And then all of a sudden we did.”
Since then, around 3,000 beds have been built and donated for children in need right here in Central Oregon.
And the work isn’t slowing down.
"There really is a need,” Mickelsen said.
The nonprofit is looking for someone to step up and take on a leadership role—in the form of the chapter’s president.
It also needs kids to donate beds to, with an influx sitting in storage waiting for a forever home.
Donations are always welcome.
"This community is full of what I call do-gooders. We want to do good for our community and SHP, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, is an ideal opportunity for that because it's simple to do, it’s engaging, there’s a lot of opportunities to give back," Mickelsen said.
If you’re interested in learning more about Sleep in Heavenly Peace, click here.
If you would like to know more about our other 21 Cares for Kids partners, click here.
