The value of a bed goes far beyond comfort. It's a place where a child’s safety is materialised, health is developed, and dreams are ignited. But for thousands of kids around the world, this is a luxury. Luke Mickelson realised this after he built a bed for a six-year-old girl who previously only slept on a bundle of clothes. Vowing to never let another kid sleep on the floor again, he started growing a movement from his garage.
Hauling in a truckload of timber and a group of friends, Mickelson began building bunk beds for families in Idaho in the United States. With requests increasing every day, he took on the project full-time and founded the non-profit organisation Sleep in Heavenly Peace. “Child bedlessness may not be a real word, but it’s a real problem,” he says. When locals caught wind of Mickelson’s mission, it accelerated into a nationwide initiative dedicated to combating the crisis.
Relying solely on donations and support from the public, the organisation has constructed and delivered over 59 000 beds for children across four different countries. To expand his reach, Mickelson drew up a training manual for volunteers in over 40 states, instructing them on how to assemble the bunk beds.
With thousands still sleeping on the floor, Mickelson is committed to building a world where every child has the opportunity to turn their sweet dreams into a reality. “The most rewarding part of what we do is seeing how excited they are that they now have a pillow to lay their heads on,” he says.
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