Aubrey Weishaar, Bridget Weishaar, Daylene Wittman, and Margie McConnaughey pose with finished branded headboards at the end of the day.
by Bridget Weishaar
As a journalist, sometimes we find ourselves going to the story and sometimes the story simply finds us.
Such was the case April 15 when I attended a bunk bed build day for the organization known as Sleep in Heavenly Peace at Benedictine College in Atchison.
As much as I would like to tell you that I previously knew nothing about this organization, I happened upon it back in 2018 when it was first made popular by Mike Rowe, TV host of Dirty Jobs, The Deadliest Catch, and the popular internet show “Returning the Favor.”
Rowe has been my celebrity crush for many a year and the dream of one day meeting him has been on my bucket list for a very long time.
Now granted, when signing up for the event I knew full well Rowe wouldn’t be in attendance for the day, but I packed up my three best gal pals, including my daughter, Aubrey, and friends Margie McConnaughey, Valley Falls, and Daylene Wittman, Topeka, and headed off to build the beds anyway.
What I didn’t know, is that I would run into Jim Peek, of Meriden, who was beginning the process of starting his very own chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace right here in Jefferson County.
Two to six percent of children in the United States sleep on the floor. The mission behind the nationwide organization is to prevent that from happening.
The mantra of the organization is simple, “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town,” and they mean it.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace was founded in 2012 by Luke and Heidi Mickelson, of Twin Falls, Idaho.
At the time, Luke was a youth group leader at his church and was asked to help build beds for a member of the church family in need. It was such a rewarding project, he and his family continued to build beds and post them on Facebook for free.
When the community heard what he was doing, donated items and materials came pouring in. Soon after, Mickelson quit his job of 18 years, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace became a full time venture for the family.
In 2012, 11 beds were built in Mickelson’s garage. In 2013, the number was 15. Today, over 100,000 beds have been built by over 270 chapters across America. The state of Kansas has three of those chapters.
Once started, Peek’s chapter will encompass five ZIP codes in the area, with Meriden being the primary, and the other four north of the river in Shawnee County.
Peek first got involved with the project after reading a magazine article about the growing organization. His research led him to Patrick O’Malley, founder of the Atchison chapter, and his first build day in February.
One build and later a delivery and Peek was hooked. The organization appealed most to Peek because it was family oriented. Children as young as 12 are welcome at builds.
Peek reached back out to O’Malley, obtained the necessary information, and made contact with Lisa Foster, regional support lead, to begin the process of bringing the chapter to Jefferson County.
Next month, Peek will travel to Lieh, Utah, for two days of training to bring a chapter to life.
“The builds will be mobile to start with,” Peek stated. “I’m looking at three places north of the river, but am open to anywhere we can be seen. Exposure is key at the beginning to help the chapter grow and get others involved.”
Once up and running, the newly formed chapter can focus more on finding a permanent location and the process of obtaining corporate sponsorship willing to help the project grow in the area.
Criteria for the free bed applications are simple. 1) You must be a legal guardian of the child or children ages 3-17 years of age and 2) You must live within the ZIP code(s) of the chapter you are applying through.
Peek’s core team will consist of friends and family, myself included, filling the positions of president, vice president, build manager, delivery manager, social media manager, and volunteer/organization manager.
The assembly line of SHP is a well-oiled machine. Every step designed to be foolproof with little to no training required in each area saving time and manpower for the actual build.
During the Atchison build, our morning began one hour prior to the start in the cutting and sanding room, ensuring that there would be no bottleneck waiting on lumber.
Once cut and sanded, boards were passed to the assembly area. Here, Aubrey used a fabricated jig and rubber mallet to make marks in each board for pilot drilling. The jig contained small screws welded upside down, marking the spaces with one good whack from the mallet.
The jig was engineered to hold a one by four foot slat, a two by six foot side board and a two by four foot piece used for both the headboards and footboards.
Step-by-step training manuals were available at each location instructing you which side was up on each board and at which end to drill or what holes to leave untouched.
Margie worked diligently with a hand drill to carefully place guide holes in each board before passing it down the line.
The one by four foot slats were then sent to one area ready for gluing, while the two by four foot and two by six foot boards were sent to a drill press needing a larger hole to fit the required hardware.
These stations are where Daylene and I spent our four- hour shifts.
After a visit to the drill press, the boards were either passed to the left to become a headboard/footboard or to the right to become a side rail, moving down the assembly line until each had the correct number of screws and hardware attached.
The second to last step in the process of becoming a twin bed was staining. A large vat of stain big enough for a completed headboard or footboard to be immersed underwater was utilized. Each piece was then placed over a drip vat allowing it to dry before moving outside to the branding station.
There is no waste with SHP; each scrap piece of lumber left over was thrown into a firepit used to heat a brand with the organization’s logo.
Pieces were then wrapped on pallets and stored until delivery day. Depending on the applicant’s request, either a twin or a full set of bunk beds would be delivered.
A twin bed consists of a headboard, footboard, slats holding the mattress, and a set of side rails. The beds are freestanding. Two twin beds screwed together form the bunks.
The assembly takes place on location, removing any guesswork of tricky staircases or space constraints within the home. A few pieces of remaining hardware are installed leaving only smiling faces behind.
Each child receiving a bed also receives a foam mattress and a complete bedding set.
The cost to supply each bed is roughly $250 per applicant. Donations are received from corporate sponsors such as Lowes. The company offers SHP support from 14 store locations and discounts ranging from 25-50% off materials and tools.
Mattresses are supplied by the Lucid Mattress Company. Their contribution over the years have reached an estimated $200,000.
Local bedding drives and Amazon Wish Lists are created to acquire bedding sets.
Peek was born and raised just outside of St. Joseph, Mo. In 2007, he took a job in the Topeka area and settled in Meriden.
He is currently an outside sales rep for a steel distribution center in Kansas City.