Testimonials

Follow up from "Giving Tuesday's" Every Child in a Bed by Christmas effort. Read to be inspired!

I just had to share this good news with you. This little guy had been struggling a long time with sleep. He is a twin, and he is autistic with ADHD and his twin brother has cerebral palsy and they are the biggest blessing!

This struggling mom needed a bed for her little boy and made it a goal to get him to sleep in his bed by the twin's birthday on 2/25/19. At Tools for School, the “Merciful HELP Center Information Station” where we educate people in need of our services, we always ask an important question of each family! When Tina Malone asked if every child had a bed to sleep on, Angie made a decision to get a bed from us and work on helping her little guy to sleep in it. With her little boy being autistic and ADHD, this was no small goal and task!

This family was part of the 2018 “No Child without a Bed by Christmas" campaign on “Giving Tuesday” after Thanksgiving. Every cent this mom makes goes to bills or medical care. But she handles it all, lovingly. She’s tired and needs help making it month to month, so we have developed a relationship with her, providing gas cards to get to physical therapy at Riley, food on a monthly basis, coats, Tools for School, Carmel Summer Lunches, and Carmel Back Sacks, whatever it takes to help her get by. 
When the campaign started we need 89 beds and $12,000 to purchase the mattresses, box springs, and rails or gain donations of beds, either one!

OLMC came out in full force. People put the challenge on Facebook and shared it. We had offers of beds and funds from all sorts of people! St. Elizabeth Seton, our partner at the MHC offered money to cover whatever we didn’t get! They also offered blankets and pillows for the beds. Susan MacIntosh wrote to Mr. Pillow, and got 89 pillows donated in early January! 
What’s even more amazing to me, is that our furniture ministry leaders and volunteers MADE IT HAPPEN! They picked up beds in the cold of November and December when others would rather be drinking egg nog by the fire! Jerry Newkirk and Tom Smith made visits to each family, and Deb Miller and Amy Szwed took all the calls for donated beds. Judy Herdman processed all the paperwork and dozens of men delivered the beds!

They got those beds delivered to every child and family, by golly! What looks like an insurmountable mountain of work, was accomplished by the amazing crew of dedicated furniture ministry volunteers.
Our volunteers amaze me!
I wish I could thank every single one, but I know I would leave someone out!

Thank you for making this family's life doable! For improving this sweet boy's chances of getting a good night's sleep, so he can learn. And for helping mom to meet her goal of making a safe sleeping space where her son could rest easy.
Love you all to pieces!!
Jayne