Maury Co. nonprofit helps children find peaceful sleep by building a bed of their own

Thanks to the nonprofit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, children are lying their heads down in a new handcrafted bed all their own, something they would not have been able to do without the work of community volunteers.

Transplants from California and co-presidents of the local chapter, Beth and Bill Morrill have taken up the cause in Columbia with a mission of “No child sleeps on the floor in our town."

The couple organizes build days in which volunteers construct bed frames and provide mattresses and linens for children without a bed of their own in the community. The group has thus far has constructed over 100 beds for children across Maury County, since its start in October 2022, for children ages 3-17.

Recently at Maury County Park under the roof of the Skillington Barn, volunteers of all ages gathered to build at least 20 beds.

“We are happy to help those who meet the criteria,” Morrill said. “Recipients get an entire bed with a new mattress, new bedding and a pillow.”

Sleep in Heavenly Peace began in Twin Falls, Idaho by Luke Mickelson and has expanded to more than 300 chapters nationwide.

The local chapter serves Spring Hill and Columbia, with donors sponsoring build days.

Once beds are built and assembled, the volunteers also deliver the beds to children without a bed.

The beds are built so that they can be stacked as bunkbeds, if need be, and must go to families who are settled in an established residence, local director Beth Morrill said.

Experience not necessary: Youth wanted to help build, deliver

It is Beth Morrill’s hope that bed building efforts bring in help from all kinds of groups, from company teams to church teams and helpers.

Volunteer with the core team, Jennifer Robbins brought her son, Colton Robbins to help at the recent build day.

"If you expect it to be tough, it’s not that bad and actually kind of fun,” Colton said. “And it changes the way you look at things.”

His third time helping with a build, Columbia Academy freshman Colton brought his friend, Samuel Hall, a classmate from CA. The two worked at the sanding station, cutting wood or branding the bed with the signature SHP group logo.

They also counted the day as part of their service work needed at CA.

“I hope we can help kids less fortunate have a comfortable place to sleep,” Hall said. “It feels good to try to make them comfortable.”

Colton and Samuel say they would normally enjoy playing golf on a nice Saturday instead of building beds, but they know their work is going to help others for years to come.

Mother and daughter, Becky and Reagan Clayborne enjoyed their first time helping with the bed build.

“It really struck me when hearing about this, that there is a need here in our own community,” Reagan said. “No kid should go without a bed, so I figured on a Saturday morning, it’s the least we can do is give a few hours to help.”

Reagan hopes the word can get out and that she and her mom can be a small part of what the team is doing.

Beth and Bill are hoping to keep the momentum as word spreads and the mission continues.

“How much better is a community, when every kid has a bed?” Bill said.

Beth said the most recent build was a mix of families wanting to help, but there are multiple ways others can help.

Volunteers can either join the core team or reserve a build or delivery day to help with the beds. Additionally, anyone can sponsor a build at the cost of $250 per bed, which includes the entire cost of materials. For more information, visit shpbeds.org to learn more about the organization or sign up to volunteer.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: A Peaceful Sleep: Maury Co. nonprofit builds beds for families in need