AmeriCorps week is an annual recruitment and recognition event designed to bring more Americans into service while saluting the efforts of AmeriCorps members and alumni for their powerful impact on communities. Build-A-Bed targets a very specific and often neglected community, the working-poor. Many children in Kentucky are living in homes with not enough beds, or none at all. Build-A-Bed’s mission is to ensure that K-12 Kentucky children are guaranteed a proper place to sleep in their home.
The Build-A-Bed project has enjoyed much success in the past two years, because each child receives much more than a bed. Each recipient is given a set of sheets, a hygiene kit, books, night-light, teddy bear, and a blanket or quilt. David Bachert, Build-A-Bed PR Chairman, noted that, “There are lots of talks these days about reforming education, but no one addresses the fact that so many Kentucky children have to find places to sleep in their own homes…How can a child perform well in school when they’ve slept for 4.5 hours on a lawn chair?”
To help achieve this year’s goal of 50 beds, we have partnered with outreach groups at Morehead State University which include Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), MSUCorps, Adult Education and College Access, Center for Regional Engagement, and Campus Compact VISTA members.
AmeriCorps has truly made a difference in the lives of so many people throughout Kentucky and across the country,” said Eileen Cackowski, Director of Kentucky Cabinet for Community Service and Volunteerism . “That is why I am so pleased that Kentucky is hosting the annual National AmeriCorps Week kick-off event that I hope will encourage and inspire even more Kentuckians and Americans to engage in community service and volunteerism.
If you are interested in opportunities to support Build-A-Bed, you can visit the Build-A-Bed website at: http://build-a-bed.org/ or follow the Build a bed link on this webpage. Contact Mary Claire Williams at 606-783-2817 or mc.williams@moreheadstate.edu
