Thirty more children in Pickens County will now have a bed of their own, because a group of volunteers devoted a couple of hours of their time on a Saturday morning. The Easley chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace built the beds on April 13, 2024, in front of the Liberty Recreation building on West Main Street (Highway 93). The previous Saturday, the Liberty Recreation Department held a color run to raise funds for lumber for the bed build.

In all, nearly 500 children in Pickens County now sleep in their very own beds because of the Easley chapter’s volunteers who have worked to build the beds and because of churches and businesses and individuals who have donated funds for the materials.

Phil Sargent and Tom Garrick serve as Co-Presidents of the Easley chapter.

The national organization Sleep in Heavenly Peace was founded in Idaho in 2012.

Sargent told The Pickens County Chronicle that the local chapter was officially organized in 2019, after he visited the closest chapter at that time, in Dawsonville, Georgia, to learn more about it, and they decided to start a chapter in Easley. The chapter has grown from two men interested in helping children in need to a community of volunteers. About half in the local organization are members of Easley First Baptist Church, but members of other churches are involved, as well. In addition, several local churches donate regularly, as do Sunday School classes and civic organizations. “It’s really well supported in the community,” Sargent said.

“We have a lot of support from the school district and school teachers,” he added. “They’re really a great asset, because that’s how we found out about most of the kids who needed beds. The teachers knew about it, so they would contact us and send in an application. I went to all of the schools and gave them brochures and said that we can supply beds for kids who don’t have beds to sleep in. It took a little while to get going, but, after it got going, it’s been wide open ever since.”

Randy Bagwell, of the chapter core team, said that they have been averaging around 15 beds a week.

“At one time, we were about 207 beds behind,” said Sargent, “and now we’re catching up.” Several more bed builds are scheduled for the near future. “Right now, we’re averaging about two a month,” said Sargent. They have had bed builds at several schools in Pickens County, including Liberty High School and Daniel High School and the Youth Leadership Academy, with students getting involved.

Holly Grove helped with the Daniel High School bed build and noted that students from different community-oriented organizations, such as the Beta Club and Interact Club, were involved. “It was wonderful,” she said, of seeing all who participated.

Anyone can get involved in any of the bed builds, even young children, and no experience is necessary. “Nobody has to have any experience,” said Sargent. “You don’t have to bring a tool. You just have to show up.” Volunteers contact the chapter and just sign in on the day of the build.

“They have a wish list on Amazon for people who don’t want to come out and participate, that can buy the bedding, the comforters,” said Grove. “The kids get a mattress pad, a mattress, the frame, comforter set, sheet set, pillow, the whole nine yards.”

Not only do people donate, but businesses also either donate money, or give discounts on materials, or donate supplies at cost. “It’s a community effort, a big community effort,” said Sargent. “It’s really amazing.”

Each bed is put together in the home. “We take the components in the house, and we put it together,” said Bagwell. “We put a new mattress on it.”

“We have to supply everything, and everything has to be new,” said Sargent. “That’s by our insurance regulations. We’re covered by insurance. We can’t take anything that’s used. They unwrap it on site.”

“We certainly enjoy this,” Garrick told The Pickens County Chronicle. “One of the biggest joys of this whole thing is, when you go into a house, and you put the bed together, and you see the smile on the face of the children. The children are so grateful to have a bed to sleep on. They’ll get on the bed, and they’ll jump up and down. We build them sturdy. But to see their faces,” he said.

“We’ve had such good support from this whole community,” Garrick continued. “We’ve got churches that send us regular donations and put us in their budgets. We have to have mattresses, and we have to have money for that. We have to have the bed in the bag.” When the chapter lets it be known that materials are low, they are soon donated.

The ages that beds are made for by Sleep in Heavenly Peace range from age four to age 17, but the main age group is about age seven to age 12, Garrick said. Beds are not given to ages younger than four, he said, “because it’s still too dangerous for them to get in a bed and fall off and get hurt. We’re insured, but we don’t want that to happen.”

Although some of the bed builds have been inside, most take place outside. Garrick said that people driving by have stopped during bed builds, wanting to donate money to the cause.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the organization, who wants to volunteer time at a bed build, or is interested in donating toward the cause may visit the website at https://shpbeds.org/chapter/sc-easley/.