YOUNG HARRIS – Blairsville’s Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter may be new, but it’s already made a major difference in the lives of children in need. Most recently, the organization held a bed-building workshop at Young Harris Mayor’s Park on March 18, attended by about 150 student volunteers from Young Harris College.
As a nonprofit organization, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, or SHP, serves children aged 3 to 17 by handling the building and delivery of twin-sized beds to families in need.
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Some 62% of requests come from single-parent households, and 82.4% of applicant families earn less than $52,000 annually. Some, accounting for 6.1%, are transitioning from homelessness, while 1.35% of requests go toward children in foster care.
SHP handles building the wooden frames, typically relying on volunteer work. Mattresses, linens and pillows are bought new.
While the initiative spans the nation, there are local chapters. Both Union and Towns counties used to fall under the purview of the Dawsonville chapter, but in January of this year, a dedicated local chapter opened to serve the need closer to home.
Already, 31 beds have been delivered in 2026, and according to Blairsville Sleep in Heavenly Peace President Doug Murphy, nine more have been claimed.
“The need is great, even locally,” said Murphy, noting that, on a national level, SHP has delivered 373,847 beds since its inception in 2012. “We’re very fortunate to have Young Harris College and the City of Young Harris helping us out here, and some great neighboring workers.”
Murphy credits the college Athletics Department and the city with helping to organize last week’s event, and he extended additional thanks to Lowe’s for offering discounts on materials and tools.
After the initial setup, student volunteers registered for one of the available time slots between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Five groups appeared throughout the day, working in shifts of about 30 students each over the course of an hour. They took turns at different stations, with some carrying boards, a few branding the SHP logo, and others working on sawing and sanding.
Bailee Brown and Shayla Pennington took the first shift that morning, and so accepted responsibility for removing beams from the trailer they arrived on.
“We kind of jump on any opportunity that we can for some community service,” Brown said, with Pennington adding, “I enjoy it so much, just helping out others. But not only that, we’re also learning new things and making friends along the way.”
Another volunteer, Natalie “Doodle” Jojola, found the work nostalgic. Her father showed her carpentry when she was small, so she’s no stranger to woodworking. Using that experience to help others made the day all the sweeter.
“All glory to God, for sure, to have this opportunity to help others out there,” a smiling Jojola said, with Jeo Hernandez agreeing that volunteering kept him wanting to continue to do good for others.
“Young Harris is proud to stand with Sleep in Heavenly Peace and their belief that no child should sleep without a bed,” said Emily Carella, Vice President of Student Engagement and Athletics at the college. “Today’s build is a powerful example of what can happen when a college and a community come together.”
Murphy expected that, by the end of the day, 20 beds would come from the workshop. It’s the average total from others builds of its kind, which Sleep in Heavenly Peace hopes to hold at least once every month or two.
At the top of every hour, Murphy thanked each shift for their time and care and posed for a quick photo with a couple of groups. With the March 18 workshop complete, May 23 is slated to see the next bed-building event, this time held at the Union County Farmers Market.
Although guests are welcome to just walk up and lend a hand, volunteers are encouraged to sign up to help at https://shpbeds.org/. Simply click on the “Volunteer” tab at the top of the homepage.
Alternatively, the organization will gladly accept donations at www.shpbeds.org/donate/, with 95 cents of every dollar going directly toward building and delivering the beds. And people who know of a child in need of a bed may visit www.shpbeds.org/apply.
