“No kid sleeps on the floor in our town”

Kevin Ridley
Kevin Ridley

Staff Writer

Aug 20, 2018

With help from Lowe’s, nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds beds in over 90 cities in the United States

It started with one bed. In one garage.

In 2012, Luke Mickelson realized there was a need, not only in his hometown, but across the United States.

“We know that every town has the same problem that we see and that’s kids sleeping on the floor,” Michelson said. “We’re not going to have kids sleep on the floor in our town if we have anything to do with it.”

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Luke started Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), in his garage, in Twin Falls, Idaho.  It started as a small group of volunteers who turned it into a nonprofit dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need.

“You see some of the conditions these kids live in and it’s conditions people aren’t aware of. They not only affect the kids but it’s affecting the parents as well,” Michelson said.

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When Luke realized the potential, his new organization could have on families, he started searching for people who could help.

“We went to other wood and hardware stores and we were lucky to run into Lance Hoover (Store Manager) at Lowe’s,” Michelson said. “As soon as we told him what we were doing, it was a, ‘No question.  We want to help out.’ If it wasn’t for Lowe’s, we wouldn’t be able to build as many beds as we do now.”

To date, SHP has built more than 1,300 beds in 98 different communities.

Store Manager Lance Hoover is amazed how fast SHP has grown since 2012, ” When Luke first came to me with this crazy idea of building bunk bed for kids, I thought, ‘this guy must be outside his mind.’ It sounded more like as if he was building a shed in his backyard with what he was requesting.  Now, I look back and see how far SHP has come and it’s amazing to be a part of it.  From the start in Twin Falls, Idaho, to soon 100 chapters nationwide. I’m blessed to have been a part of this crazy dream”

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