It all started when our principal, Karen Friebe, participated in a “bed build” last year with her husband and told our staff how impactful it was for them both. The organization that she did this with is called Sleep in Heavenly Peace. This wonderful organization builds beds for local kids who don’t have one, so that “No Kids Sleep on the Floor in Our Town” (that’s their motto!). We made this our third mission for this school year and set up goals for the students. Each bed costs $250 to build, so every time they met that goal, there would be a reward for them. However, we made the last reward the biggest and best! We told the kids that if they were able to raise $1,000 (to build four beds!), the 4 teachers that were in charge of the mission would sleep on the roof of the school. I honestly didn’t think that they would meet that goal … but they did! (And then surpassed it by $1,000, thanks to donations from our supportive church and a big gift from a family.)
So … we picked a day to sleep on the roof … June 3, to be exact. We hauled tents, pillows, sleeping bags, air mattresses, blankets, food, drinks, chairs, and ourselves up onto the roof! We rigged a bucket with a rope that we could lower down and bring back up with treats and goodies (and some of our equipment as well) when people stopped by to support and cheer us on. About 10 families stopped by throughout the evening and the kids that came just LOVED seeing their teachers on the roof! It was very windy that day, so we had to wait until the wind died down a bit before we could pitch our tents. But before we did, I read a bedtime story on FB live, called “After the Fall—How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again.”
After our tents were up, we settled in to watch a beautiful sunset from a different vantage point than any of us had ever had. We turned in around 11 p.m. and tried to get as much sleep as
possible … but it was in the 40’s that night and when we woke up the next morning, there was frost on the ground! BRRRR!!!! But we survived and now can say (and NOT many people can…) that we slept on the roof of our school!
After a quick trip to our respective homes to shower or take a short snooze, it was on to our sponsored bed build. In about 3 hours, with about 50 volunteers, we were able to build parts for 40 beds to go to local children. What a blessing! So thankful to have been a part of this experience.
Photos courtesy of Megan Gallagher
