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Cloudy with periods of rain. High 56F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..
Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 51F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Multiple young men from Illini West High School sand down wood as part of one of the many steps required to build the beds.
Tyler Yager, Illini West High School student, using the drilling press as one of the stations/steps for building the many beds.
Darin Higgins, Co-President of “Sleep In Heavenly Peace,” left, at the assembly station with Illini West High School student Tristan Rea. Tristan was one of the students that came and worked on the beds for multiple hours throughout the day.
Multiple young men from Illini West High School sand down wood as part of one of the many steps required to build the beds.
Tyler Yager, Illini West High School student, using the drilling press as one of the stations/steps for building the many beds.
Darin Higgins, Co-President of “Sleep In Heavenly Peace,” left, at the assembly station with Illini West High School student Tristan Rea. Tristan was one of the students that came and worked on the beds for multiple hours throughout the day.
On Friday, Sept. 16, many Illini West students from Carthage High School could be seen right on the front lawn of the school property at several different outdoor work stations working hard.
The High School Key Club was sponsoring this event. High school kids could be seen everywhere going through multiple steps of building beds.
The group of volunteers that they Key Club was sponsoring was a group called “Sleep In Heavenly Peace.”
Some may have heard of the group, but those who have not are really missing out. This local group is a group of really, really good-hearted volunteers (from LaHarpe Christian Church) that is “dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need”. They know there’s an IMMEDIATE need in our area and they’re taking action.
Oh, and when they deliver these beds, the beds even get delivered with mattresses, a sheet set, a comforter, a pillow, the whole set. So kids are all set to go when their bed gets delivered to them.
As stated in their pamphlet, this group believes that “a bed is a basic need for proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs. They know that all across the United States, too many boys and girls go without a bed - or even a pillow - to sleep on. These children many times end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. That can affect their happiness and health.”
The idea for doing the beds originally started in the year 2019, but then the COVID pandemic hit and just literally stopped everything. However, things got back on track in 2021.
Darin Higgins and Mike Moore are the co-presidents of this project. They are members of the La Harpe Christian Church. When they found out that some area kids did not have beds, they thought this would be a way they could serve and fill a need. They do not like hearing of any child sleeping on the floor. Folks, you have to meet these people. Genuinely some of the kindest folks I’ve ever met in my life.
I spent the whole morning till around lunch time with this wonderful group, watching them work with and teach the high school students. The patience and kindness they had in the way they taught all the students really touched me. And then on the flip side, the way the students were listening and working so hard and not ever complaining…. that all really touched me, as well. I spent a lot of time with Darin’s wife, Diana Higgins, too. She explained to me the process of what everyone was doing and she thoroughly explained to me the ‘Sleep In Heavenly Peace’ program. She was an absolute angel. The program is so lucky to have her as a volunteer.
That whole day was just met with volunteers that really wanted to be there and students that really wanted to be there, so it was a recipe for a major success. Beds were being built with so much hard work and so much love. It was so neat to watch and to photograph.
There were even volunteers that showed up from neighboring towns to help, such as Marilyn and Chuck Miller from Hamilton, who are looking in to possibly starting their own Chapter. They are a retired couple who are always volunteering and helping others. There was also a young man named Griffin who was there working and teaching the students the entire time, and he described himself as “just a tile drainage farmer.” I said “there’s no ‘just a’ about it. We’re all something special no matter what we do.”
It’s so fun to meet volunteers from all walks of life.
Chris Greenhalge at Illini West (Known by the students as Mr. G) was keeping things running with the students very smoothly. No sooner would one large group leave to have to go back in the school, and there would be another group coming out to start working.
Every bed that is built is handcrafted and constructed by volunteers who are willing to donate their time to help children in their community.
That’s gotta make them feel so good inside to know they’re helping children and families. How cool is it that all these high school kids can now say that they had a major hand in building so many beds now and that they put such personalized stamps on them? Well, actually, not personalized stamps, but something even cooler. They got to brand each bed. That’s right. They each got to learn how to brand. The SHP (Sleep in heavenly peace) initials were branded on each each bed.
The work stations set up all consisted of several different steps, all of which were very important, none of which could be skipped! The steps included things such as sanding, drill press and hand drill, branding, tapping station, soaking in vinegar & steel wool, assembly station, etc.
I’m so proud of these kids. For any parents at home that had any of your kids helping build these, you should be very, very proud.
The Illini West High School kids ended up getting 15 full beds made, and had enough extra pieces for 3 more, although not complete. What an accomplishment!
For anyone that would like to make a donation, you can drop off pillows, blankets, sheets (ALL MUST BE BRAND NEW IN PACKAGING!) to LaHarpe Christian Church at 200 East Main Street in LaHarpe, IL. You are also welcome to donate funds to the same address. You are also always more than welcome to volunteer your time during builds to help make beds.
These volunteers are trying to serve a 50-mile radius, to towns such as LaHarpe, Farmington, Galesburg, Macomb, Vermont, and Canton. Some of the counties include McDonough, Warren, Henderson, Hancock and even counties in Iowa.
If you would like more information or have questions, you may contact Mike Moore at 217-357-4601 or Darin Higgins at 309-339-2266.
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Cloudy with periods of rain. High 56F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 51F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High near 80F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
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