Florida dedicates day to charity that builds beds for children in need

Officials in Florida have dubbed Feb. 20 "Sleep in Heavenly Peace Day" in an effort to honor an organization trying to solve child bedlessness. 

It's a problem many don't even realize exists, Luke Mickelson, the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace told Fox News. In fact, it's a problem that impacts 2% to 3% of the country's population, he said. 

Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire marshall, is recognizing the organization's efforts in not only drawing awareness to this issue but for finding a solution to it. 

It is a "huge honor" Mickelson said, noting that it truly reflects the efforts of the entire organization. 

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"You don't wake up every day and have a day dedicated to your organization," he said. "It's a testament to the great volunteers and SHP [Sleep in Heavenly Peace] crew and chapters we have in Florida." 

Sleep in Heavenly Peace was established in 2012 for one reason: to make sure every child had a safe and comfortable place to sleep at night. 

Chapters quickly started forming around the country aimed at furthering Mickelson's mission and by 2014, the organization was registered as a nonprofit. By the end of 2018, hundreds of Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapters were helping children nationwide, as well as in Canada, Bermuda and the Bahamas, by building bunk beds from raw materials complete with mattresses, pillows and bedding. To date, the organization has created upward of 65,000 total beds.

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"Too many boys and girls go without a bed -- or even a pillow -- to sleep on," the Sleep in Heavenly Peace website says. "These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health." 

The nonprofit also created a Disaster Relief Fund, which "provides a new way to help those in need who’ve been impacted by a recent disaster," according to SHP's website. 

All of the donated funds are used to benefit children who have lost either their beds or homes during a tragedy such as Hurricane Michael in 2018. 

After the hurricane left a path of destruction in Florida's Bay, Calhoun and Jackson counties, a Tallahassee chapter stepped up to help. It partnered with 14 additional Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapters in Florida and Georgia to build more than 1,000 beds for kids whose homes were destroyed.

Their efforts caught the attention of Patronis that year. 

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Since then, 10 Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapters in Florida --  encompassing well over 7,800 volunteers, have built 3,794 beds for children in need. 

Mickelson hopes that "Sleep in Heavenly Peace Day" will spread awareness to such a prevalent issue. 

"I hope this spawns other states to get our elected officials to recognize that this is a real problem," he said. 

So far, the effort from the state of Florida, "is the biggest step in that direction" the organization has had. 

However, Mickelson doesn't just want to shed light on the fact that there is a problem -- he also wants to emphasize that the organization has a solution.

"This is an opportunity to be a human to help another human out," he said. "Let's go help these little humans out."