Morris Furniture spokeswoman Jessica Ryan said the company works each year with local social service agencies to compile a list of families in need. According to United Way of Greater Dayton President Tom Kelley, the giveaway focuses on families with children who have less than ideal sleeping arrangements.
“During home visits with families, our partner social service agencies see children in all sorts of sleeping arrangements; tucked in with siblings, on air mattresses, or even making beds out of piles of blankets on the floor,” Kelley said. “For some, it will be the very first time having this simple necessity all to themselves.”
Ryan said this year’s event will provide beds to 75 children in celebration of Morris Furniture Company’s 75th anniversary. Along with a new mattress, each child will receive a bed frame, box spring, comforter, pillow, sheets and pillow cases. United Way will also provide books, pajamas, kid’s sheet sets, and a teddy bear with each bed.
Though the Hope to Dream event is just six years old, Ryan said Morris Furniture has held similar giveaways for the past 21 years. She said she has seen the long-term impact the event has on recipients.
“We’ve had people who have received a bed and they’ve come back to us and are doing all of these amazing things in life and they thank us because it all started with a good night’s sleep,” Ryan said.
Throughout the years, beds have been gifted to kids of all ages, Ryan said, adding that the giveaway provides so much more than just a bed.
“This allows them to get a more restful sleep, which helps them perform better in school and to have better cognitive performance. The second, third and fourth order effects of having a good night’s sleep is huge,” she said. “And it’s so exciting to see the pure joy on the kid’s faces when they see their name on their new bed.”
Morris Furniture Company is the official licensee of Ashley in Ohio. Ryan said that with every mattress purchase made at the Better Sleep Shop in Morris Home and Ashley showrooms, a donation is made to local organizations.
About the Author