Giving children a place to sleep

It would seem that having a place to lay one’s head at night is a basic necessity, especially for children — but for some, it’s a luxury they don’t have.

That’s why Kristin Schlingman and her husband Andy started an Ozaukee County chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a national nonprofit organization that builds beds for children ages 3 to 17.

And last weekend 34 people with varying skill sets gathered at Mueller Funeral Home in Grafton and built eight beds — beds that along with bedding will be delivered at no cost this week to children in Cedarburg, Grafton, Port and Belgium who don’t have their own place to sleep.

“We’re excited to get the beds out to kids,” Schlingman, who lives in Grafton, said.

The need surprised her, she said, noting that after opening the application process there were five requests in the first hour.

“You just don’t think of it. Beds, that’s like a staple,” Schlingman said. “It tugs at your heart thinking there are kiddos who don’t have a bed of their own.

“But people are in a lot of different circumstances, and they’re just trying to get by.”

She first heard about Sleep in Heavenly Peace and its mission from a co-worker at the Cudahy School District eight years ago, Schlingman said.

The organization was formed in 2012, and by the end of 2024, it had more than 300 chapters in 47 states, including 22 in Wisconsin, and four countries. By the end of 2024, the organization had delivered 251,843 beds to children, according to its website.

“I thought, we don’t really need that in Ozaukee County,” Schlingman said.

But she got involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ozaukee County and seeing how some people struggle, she started to rethink that.

Schlingman is a real estate agent and her husband is retired, she said, so they got to work creating a chapter. They found a core group of friends to help with the organization and set about fundraising.

Saturday’s build was the first one the group held, and Schlingman said their goal was to build 10 beds.

Each bed, she said, is intended for a child and can be converted to a bunk bed. The twin beds are built from one specification, and each is branded with the organization’s logo.

“We don’t take people’s used beds,” she said. “Everything we provide is brand new.”

Being able to build the beds is something that appeals to people, Schlingman said.

“This is not the most efficient way to build a bed,” she said, noting that people take part in all aspects of the build. “But it’s a really cool experience.

“It brings people together for a greater cause — you can always donate money to something and you don’t know where it goes exactly. But this is a more tangible opportunity for people.”   

Given the need they’ve seen, Schlingman said, organizers plan to hold a build at the funeral home every month through fall as they look for a place to hold indoor builds through winter.

Mike Mueller is a member of the organization and is donating the use of a garage to store supplies.

Schlingman said they will continue to build beds even if they don’t have any applications pending, creating a stockpile so they can provide them to children as quickly as possible.

“They (the national organization) don’t want someone to say they need a bed and we have to wait to build it,” she said. “They want us to have it on hand.”

When the Ozaukee County chapter formed, she noted, the Fond du Lac chapter contributed 10 beds so they would have enough beds to fill all the requests they might get initially. 

For more information about Sleep in Heavenly Peace or to apply for a bed, email Kristin.Schlingman@shpbeds.org or visit shpbeds.org and search for the Ozaukee County chapter.