On Saturday, February 17th, 2024, the Rochester Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) was the recipient of a $1500 dollar Elks Gratitude Grant provided by the Elks National Foundation, via the Rochester, NH Elks Lodge #1393.
The presentation was conducted at the Elks Lodge located at 295 Columbus Avenue, Rochester, NH. On hand to receive the donation was Sleep in Heavenly Peace representative Henry Martino. The Elks Lodge was represented by Exalted Ruler Peter Ducharme and Lodge Secretary, Elks National Foundation Chair and Past Exalted Ruler Norman Gervais. Elks Gratitude Grants are designed to help community-based projects that are providing assistance to individuals and families in need.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a non-profit organization and has over 300 Chapters in the United States. The mission of the organization is to build and provide free beds to children who don’t have their own bed. Nationwide, SHP has provided over 100,000 beds to children. The Rochester Chapter was founded in 2021 by Jim and Marlene Graves, both residents of Rochester. In 2022, they delivered 126 beds to children within a 15-mile radius of the Lilac City.
Beds are assembled by groups of volunteers. The cost to build each bed is approximately $250 dollars and this organization relies totally on donations and grants to cover the cost of materials.
If you or your group are interested in volunteering for this project or want more information about the program, please visit https://shpbeds.org/chapter/nh-rochester
The Rochester Elks has over 1,000 members and is involved in various initiatives including Scholarships, Americanism and Patriotic programs, Veterans Activities, Youth Activities, Drug Awareness programs for our youth, and community-based projects in the Rochester Area. To find out more about them please visit: www.elks.org.