SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. — Sullivan County president of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Adam Harber, says the organization's mission statement is "no kid sleeps on the floor in our town."
"I think it's a need no one really knows exists. Everyone thinks everyone has a bed, but our applications never stop coming in. We go into homes all the time where kids are sleeping on the floor, they're sleeping on couches, they're sleeping with grandma," said Harber.
In the past two years, he says the chapter has built approximately 150 beds. It'll add more to the count thanks to a partnership with Volunteer ETSU.
"Experiential learning is all about letting students live and interact and serve the community, so this seemed like a wonderful partnership and we're thrilled to be able to—thanks to the ETSU Elevates Grant—make this happen today," said Professor Liv Detwiler.
The groups presented a joint pitch and won a $5,000 grant early last year.
After pandemic delays, they were finally able to come together. Student volunteers from ETSU helped build about 20 beds Saturday alone.
"To be able to do it, it's just heartwarming really," said Brody Earnest, president of Volunteer ETSU. "It's something that they can call their own that they'd never had before. It's just something that everybody should have, a good place to sleep that you can call your own."
There's also a chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace in Lee County, Virginia.
SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE, TN - SULLIVAN COUNTY | On Facebook
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