Cherokee County volunteers build beds for children who don't have one: "No kid sleeps on the floor"

On a rainy Saturday in Canton, the sound of saws, sanders, and drills filled the covered entrance of a local Lowe's store.

Dozens of volunteers came to cut, sand, drill, stain, and assemble stacks of lumber into something most people rarely have to think about: a bed.

The volunteers are part of the new Cherokee County chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a national nonprofit with a simple mission: "No kid sleeps on the floor."

Dan and Nancy Kohl started the local chapter after volunteering at a bed build several years ago.

At the time, Dan Kohl was still working. He spent much of his career as the CEO of private-equity-backed healthcare companies. After retiring, the Kohls began looking for a way to give back.

Cherokee County did not have a Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter, so the couple applied to start one and began confronting the potential size of the need.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace estimates that the number of children without beds nationally is equivalent to roughly 3% of the population. Applied to Cherokee County, with about 275,000 residents, that estimate would represent roughly 8,000 children.

Dan Kohl acknowledges the estimate is difficult to verify locally. But even if it substantially overstates the problem, he says, the number is still troubling.

"Let's assume it's wrong by 75%," he said. "That still says there's 2,000 kids that don't have a bed. And honestly, that's just unacceptable. It's just unacceptable."

The Kohls began reaching out to community organizations, friends and neighbors for help. The response grew to include local civic groups, nonprofits and families, including members of the Young Men's Service League, where mothers and sons volunteer together.

Among them were Kirby and her son Charlie, who spent their Saturday working side by side on the beds.

"I think it's super cool because I'm able to do something for kids that don't have something that most of us have," Charlie said.

He acknowledged he might otherwise have been home watching college football. For his mother, the day offered something else.  

"Giving back for sure is at the heart of it," Kirby said. "And then just being able to spend time and do it together. I mean, really, what could be better?"

Even the Kohls' own family has joined the effort. Their grandchildren have helped brand the wooden beds and make deliveries, while their daughter helps with vetting families.

The organization also works with groups across Cherokee County to identify families who need help and recruit volunteers.

The volunteers deliver the beds to families and assemble them inside their homes.  Every child receives a new mattress, sheets, pillows, blankets, and a comforter.

"Literally, when we walk out, that child could crawl in and go to sleep," Dan Kohl said.  "Once you put a bed together for a family, and the mother comes upstairs to see the new linens and the beautiful bed, they just weep," Nancy Kohl said.

For the Kohls, the issue goes beyond having a piece of furniture.

They say social workers have told them about children falling asleep at their desks because they are not getting enough rest at home. Some share mattresses with siblings or parents.

"Sleeping now is a superpower for all of us," Nancy Kohl said. "It's so important."

Sara and her sons, Phoenix and Maddox, were the first family to receive beds from the new Cherokee County chapter.

"It's impossible to achieve a deep sleep with several other people in the bed with you, particularly small children," she said.

Buying two new beds, mattresses, and bedding presented a financial challenge. Sara also has health issues that limit her mobility, making assembling the beds herself difficult.

For Sara, the change can be summed up in one word: relief.  

"It's hard to explain the feeling of relief knowing that your child has a safe and comfortable place to sleep," she said.

For the volunteers who spent a rainy Saturday turning lumber into beds, that is ultimately the point.  After the saws and sanders go quiet, somewhere in Cherokee County, another child gets a good night's sleep.