LYNNFIELD — More than 40 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and emptied their toolboxes at the Lynnfield Rotary Club’s Build a Bed fundraiser Saturday morning.
The event was held at the Lynnfield Fire Department’s South Station.
The Build a Bed program is an initiative of A Bed for Every Child, which is an initiative of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless – a Lynn nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness.
“We believe that all children deserve a place to dream,” said A Bed for Every Child Director Tina Baptista. “We bring this project across the state with corporations, community groups and youth projects to help build beds for the greater community. We are so grateful to have so many volunteers. They are the ones that make the bed-building possible and we are fortunate to be able to partner with so many youth groups and churches and the Rotary right in the Lynnfield community. We have a really great presence here in Lynnfield.”
The volunteers ranged in age from 8 to 91. By the time the sawdust settled, the group had constructed 10 wooden twin-size bed frames, which will be donated to needy children in Lynn. Mattresses and bedding are also included.
“Recipients are whole-housed with families who are not experiencing homelessness,” Baptista said. “They just don’t make enough money to have what they need.”
The Build a Bed program begins with community groups. It reaches out to their members and respective communities to secure bed sponsors, who pay $350 per bed and work as teams to build the beds. The donation covers all costs, including delivery. The project takes about two hours from start to finish. Lumber is precut to size and detailed instructions and all hardware is also provided. Surfaces are given a light sanding before the beds are sealed with a clear water-based polyurethane. The final step is adding decorative hand-painted stars to the headboard of each bed. Following assembly, the beds are inspected for safety prior to delivery.
Rotary President Jack Moynihan said the Build a Bed program aligns perfectly with Rotary’s mission.
“Activities like this exemplify what Rotary represents, which is service above self,” said Moynihan, a Lynnfield resident. “Everything we do is based on this concept.”
Former Rotary President Ron Block said he was pleased with the turnout.
“The purpose today is to get the community involved and we have people working here throughout the day,” he said. “Everybody seems to be having a good time, but the important thing is by the time we leave, 10 kids will have a place to sleep that they didn’t have before and that’s why we do it. Doing a project like this, when you go home, you know you really did something. You don’t get that when you go out to dinner and a movie with friends. I love this.”
“This day has been incredibly successful and we are thrilled to be able to have participated,” said Rotary President-elect Christine Travers. “We committed to 10 beds, but were fortunate to have secured 13 generous sponsors. Judging by the interest we saw today, Rotary definitely wants to do more of these community events going forward.”
Baptista said the Build a Bed program fosters great team building and collaboration in addition to providing a “life-changing resource for a local child.”
“After the last 18 months we’ve had, events like this show the heart of the community,” she said. “You know the greater impact you can make for people who are not as fortunate. Not a lot of people can write checks, but they can do this because it’s tangible as you can see where that $350 donation goes.”
In partnership with the Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND), A Bed for Every Child provided nearly 2,000 children with brand new beds and other materials last year.
“As an agency whose primary goal is to help families in need, the Lynn Housing Authority is thrilled to have this amazing partnership with A Bed for Every Child because together we can help so many children have a bed to call their own, which every child deserves,” said Cathy Rowe, LHAND’s Youth Services Coordinator.
Block said he was grateful to Lynnfield Fire Chief Glenn Davis for his “ongoing cooperation and help” in making events like Build a Bed successful.
