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Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Governor Beshear, First Lady Invite Volunteers to Join Service Project
24-hour blitz aims to build 500 beds for Kentucky children
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Steve Beshear and First Lady Jane Beshear are calling on all Kentuckians to join a service project that will put the state in the national spotlight later this spring.
May 8-15, 2010 is AmeriCorps Week, and this year the national kickoff will be in Frankfort.
On May 8, members of Kentucky’s AmeriCorps programs will sponsor a 24-hour “Build-A-Bed” project to benefit children across the state. The goal of the project is to have participants working in shifts throughout the day and night to build 500 beds for children in need.
“Jane and I see this project as providing a basic need that, unfortunately, some families might not be able to fill,” Gov. Steve Beshear said. “For success in school, for overall health and development, and for personal pride, every child should have a bed of his or her own.”
“We encourage all Kentuckians to register to help this cause or to make plans to help in the days of preparation before the actual construction,” said Mrs. Beshear.
The build will take place in a hangar at the Kentucky National Guard Headquarters at the Boone Center in Frankfort.
In Kentucky, AmeriCorps is administered by the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service (KCCVS) in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
CHFS Secretary Janie Miller said the remarkable building blitz will likely help several clients of her agency.
“There’s never been a project like this to construct hundreds of beds for youth across the state,” she said. “Our social services workers try to help improve poor living arrangements – like a child without a bed -- when they can. This Build-A-Bed effort is taking community action to another level by empowering volunteers and improving the quality of life for hundreds of Kentucky youth.”
Last year was the first for the Build-A-Bed project. Two program directors and many members from two state AmeriCorps programs and other volunteers built and delivered 57 twin-sized beds to children. Each child also received a mattress and a “bedtime bag,” which contained items like sheets, pajamas, books, nightlights, pillows, blankets and a toy or cuddly animal. These bags, including a handmade quilt or blanket, will again be a part of the bed deliveries this year.
AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that engages more than 50,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. In Kentucky, AmeriCorps is administered by KCCVS.
KCCVS Executive Director Eileen Cackowski said AmeriCorps members got the idea for the project through their involvement with families in their communities.
“We’ve heard stories of families where several children sleep in one bed, or some family members are sleeping on the floor,” she said. “We felt we could give young people a great advantage if we could just give them a peaceful place to rest.”
About 2,500 volunteers are needed to complete the project. AmeriCorps groups from as far away as California have committed to the kickoff event, Cackowski said.
Cackowski said on the day of the project, beds will be built by teams of four or five people in multi-hour shifts. Volunteers should register online in advance.
Cackowski said participants who don’t want to build or who are unable to build can pass out refreshments, help register volunteers and complete a number of other tasks. Volunteers can also help by:
- Donating tools, surplus lumber, screws or other materials.
- Making a donation to the volunteer efforts.
- Making blankets.
- Helping with bed delivery.
The project could be a potential spring volunteer effort for school, church or community groups, Cackowski said.
Volunteers must register in advance and should bring photo identification to the build.
For more information or to sign up to help, please call (502) 564-4986, ext. 4037, or visit http://build-a-bed.org. For more information about volunteering or the AmeriCorps programs visit www.volunteerKY.ky.gov.
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