By Ally Hinkle
The Gatesville Messenger
Marcia Streibler with Sleep in Heavenly Peace visited the Gatesville Lions Club on Wednesday, Aug. 26, to share the core beliefs of the organization as well as provide multiple volunteer opportunities.
The parent organization of the same name was founded in 2012 and has provided over 395,000 beds to children across the country who do not have a bed of their own and were sleeping on the floor. In Texas alone there are 32 active chapters. There are only three states across the country that do not currently have active chapters.
The Coryell County/Gatesville chapter was made official after four of the core members traveled to Utah around the first week of August for their training. A core team is comprised of nine to 10 members. Once this training was completed, the new chapter was able to start taking donations directly and begin holding build days.
The Coryell County’s chapter is slated to hold their first build for core members only in October to ensure that the organization has all the necessary supplies prior to holding a public build.
Streibler stated that she wants to get the community involved in Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s mission either through donations or build days.
Donations can either be monetary or a physical item. The club offers donors to join the “Bunkhead Club” which over the course of a year one individual’s donations will add up to fund one bed for a child. The minimum payment in the Bunkhead Club is $20 a month, though donors can choose to contribute more monthly. Those who join the Bunkhead Club will need to select Coryell County for the local chapter to benefit.
Physical donations can include the following: any form of bedding, including sheets and pillowcases; a bed in a bag, which is a bedding set that can be found either at WalMart or on Amazon; quilts; comforters; and pillows. These donations are called “in-kind donations” and can generate more per dollar, as monetary donations typically see 96 cents kept locally per dollar donated.
Streibler also stated that the organization offers team builds as a team-building exercise for organizations looking for bonding experiences. She also stated that organizations can give back by sponsoring a specific build if desired.
At the end of the meeting, the Gatesville Lions club presented the organization with a check for $300.