Volunteers build beds for Chicago-area children in need

OAK FOREST - Volunteers in the south suburbs are making sweet dreams come true for kids in need.

It all started when Dave King was shopping for dog beds.

"Wow, here I am making an investment to buy beds for dogs when I know there were kids in our area that were sleeping on the floor," said King.

He discovered Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an international organization that gathers volunteers to build beds for kids. King founded the Oak Forest chapter.

"We walk into these houses and there's nothing in these bedrooms, no posters on the wall, no dresser, no drapes even some of the time," King said.

King owns 4 Paws Playhouse, a cage-free dog boarding and daycare facility. He traveled to Idaho to get certified in making the beds from the organization's founder. Each month, he gathers dozens of volunteers and hosts a bed building day.

Sandra Copher and her husband Ed often help out. Sandra is a first grade teacher in Chicago Heights.

"One of my students was my first delivery. The whole crew met me right after work and I showed up to my student's house and we brought the beds in and his older brother's like no way that's not for me," Copher said.

She and her husband have seven children and always find time to volunteer with the organization. The organization's motto: No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.

"The smiles that are on the kid’s faces when we deliver the beds, it makes everything worth it and none of these children are in this position because of a decision that they made," said King.

He says 100% of donations go toward the beds. Children also receive a mattress, pillows, sheets and a comforter or handmade quilt.

Since he started the local chapter, King said they've made 150 beds.

"We help victims of fires, victims of flooding, victims of domestic abuse relocation, so there are so many additional reasons besides financial struggles," he said.

King says no experience is needed to help build the beds and volunteers always walk away with a new skill. The next bed building event is Saturday, October 11th in Palos Heights.

To donate or volunteer: https://www.facebook.com/OakForestSHP/