Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteer Bob Moss works on cutting down some wood, which will be used to build a bed for a child in need. There are currently over 100 children in Luzerne County who don’t have a bed of their own, the group says, some of whom have no bed at all.
                                 Kevin Carroll | Times Leader

Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteer Bob Moss works on cutting down some wood, which will be used to build a bed for a child in need. There are currently over 100 children in Luzerne County who don’t have a bed of their own, the group says, some of whom have no bed at all.

Kevin Carroll | Times Leader

Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds beds for kids who lack them

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FORTY FORT — Sometimes having your own bed can be taken for granted.

There are currently over 100 children in Luzerne County who can’t lay down to sleep at night in the comfort of their own bed, or in many cases, in any bed at all.

Thanks to the hard work of some passionate volunteers, that’s about to change.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit group that aims to gives children a safe place to sleep through the construction of beds, set to work on Saturday morning building bed after bed, all with the intention of making a child’s life just a bit easier.

“What we do is come together as a community,” said Denise Ogurkis. “We build beds for kids in Luzerne County who don’t have a place to sleep.”

Ogurkis is the president of the Luzerne County chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, one of nearly 200 chapters across 44 states and three countries. The organization started in Twin Falls, Idaho, where Ogurkis traveled for training before opening up the Luzerne County chapter last January.

“I flew out to Twin Falls and learned how to be a chapter president,” Ogurkis said. “From figuring out all the back-end paperwork, to making sure that the beds are going to the right people, right down to the building process.”

The organization set up shop at Sign and T-Shirt Kings on Welles Street in Forty Fort after the business gladly donated their garage to serve as a building space.

“They needed the space, it’s no problem,” said store owner Nick Smith.

The White House Diner donated breakfast and lunch, and Lowe’s Home Improvement sent a couple of volunteers — as well as $2,500 in supplies and materials.

The rest of the group was comprised of Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteers, including Barb Mikielski, who’s been with the chapter since the beginning last year.

“It’s so rewarding, to help these kids,” Mikielski said. “They really need our help.”

According to Ogurkis, 70 beds had already been delivered, and the group aimed to make somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 more on Saturday. Even still, there’s more work to be done.

“As of right now, there’s a deficit of 137 beds in Luzerne County,” Ogurkis said.