Members of the Young Men’s Service League Park City Chapter will join Sleep in Heavenly Peace for Bunks Across America on Saturday, working alongside volunteers to build beds for local children who currently sleep on floors, couches or shared mattresses.
The chapter has set a goal of helping build 100 beds, and the build day is open to the public. Organizers are inviting Park City residents of all ages and skill levels to volunteer alongside Young Men’s Service League mothers and sons.
Bunks Across America is Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s flagship annual initiative and the largest coordinated bed-building event of its kind. Now in its eighth year, the national effort runs Sept. 5-12 and aims to engage more than 15,000 volunteers across 250-plus chapters to build over 12,000 beds. In 2025, 209 chapters and 12,955 volunteers built 10,075 beds in a week.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace estimates that 2-3% of American children sleep on floors, couches, or shared beds, a need that is often invisible in communities like Park City.
According to the organization, a bed is a foundational requirement for a child’s physical, emotional and mental development, and the absence of one affects everything from school performance to health. Sleep in Heavenly Peace was founded in 2012 in Twin Falls, Idaho, by Luke Mickelson, who built a single bunk bed for a family in his community. It has since grown into a national 501(c)(3) organization operating hundreds of chapters, guided by a simple mission: “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”
Young Men’s Service League Park City said the partnership is a natural fit with the organization’s mission of mothers and sons serving together. Bed building is hands-on, age-appropriate and immediately tangible, the organization said. Young men can see the finished result of their work and understand exactly how it helps. It also gives Park City families a way to serve neighbors in their own region, where the need for beds is real but rarely visible from the outside.
“While children in every community — from rural towns to larger cities — are affected, bedlessness is often hidden behind closed doors and private living quarters,” said Teresa Ou, chair for the Young Men’s Service League partnership with Sleep in Heavenly Peace. “If you’ve ever had to sit on the floor for more than a few minutes, you can probably imagine what it must feel like to sleep like that every night. Kids just go to school tired and exhausted.”
Young Men’s Service League Park City mothers and sons gathered on Aug. 30 to prepare for the Sept. 12 build. The meeting opened with a 9/11 remembrance, during which Navy veteran Shelby Haldon shared her experience and reflected on the unity and spirit of service that emerged across America following the tragedy.
Members then learned about the service opportunities ahead, including weaving sleeping mats for individuals experiencing homelessness and helping build 100 beds. The gathering also focused on building connections with team activities that encouraged members to meet new people and collaborate ahead of the build.
The beds built on Sept. 12 will be delivered at no cost to local children in need, including families in the Park City and Summit County area, which is served by the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Utah-Salt Lake chapter. Any family that needs a bed for a child can apply, and applications are confidential and free at shpbeds.org/apply or directly at sleepinheavelypeace.jotform.com/241007557123953. Beds are twin-size
and are delivered and assembled by volunteers as supplies allow. Questions can be directed to the Utah-Salt Lake chapter at 844-432-2337, ext. 5322.