United Way Innovation: Build-A-Bed- Metro United Way
It’s hard to envision sweet dreams running through a child’s head when they’re sleeping on a cold floor. For many children, especially those in poverty, a bed is considered a luxury. Many end up sleeping on the floor, on a couch, in a chair, night after night.
Everyone deserves a bed.
Metro United Way launched the Build-A-Bed program to provide those in need with a bed. Build-A-Bed supplies bed frames, mattresses, sheets, blankets and pillows through a partnership with Southern Indiana schools.
How does it work?
- The school determines children who qualify for the program.
- Eligible students fill out a Build-A-Bed application
- Through volunteers and donations, Metro United Way supplies the student with a bed.
Build-A-Bed was launched as a pilot in partnership with Greater Clark County Schools and built 50 beds for students who didn’t have beds of their own. The program proved so successful that it was expanded to include all public-school districts in Clark and Floyd counties, totaling five school districts. This year, Metro United Way gathered 180 volunteers from multiple community partners to build bed frames while many other sponsors provided mattresses and bedding and built 150 beds over a two-day period. Organizations such as City of Shepherdsville, First Harrison Bank, PNC Bank, Amazon, and more are amazing partners of the bed program.
In April of this year, One Southern Indiana announced the winner of its 31st annual ONE awards. The program recognized Metro United Way’s Build-a-Bed program as the 2019 Nu-Yale Nonprofit Program of the Year ONE Award.
It’s amazing how something as simple as a soft, warm bed can have a direct impact on a child’s overall mental and physical health. A good night’s sleep is correlated with academic and personal success. Studies show that adverse sleeping patterns can enforce aggressive behavior, bullying, poor grades and cognitive delays. Providing a personal space to rest can improve overall performance in school, support creativity, enhance mood and positively impact overall health.
Theresa Reno-Weber, Metro United Way President, remarked, “The Build-A-Bed project demonstrates what it looks like when community and corporate partners team up to make a change. No one individual or organization can do it alone, but together, we will win our fight for every individual, child and family to achieve their full potential”.
Build-A-Bed does more than just build beds, it gifts children with a sense of independence and the ability to succeed in school.
