Kenosha volunteers offer handiwork to help local families sleep better at night

KENOSHA, Wis. — What sounded like a swarm of angry bees was the busy work from a hive of volunteers — sanding boards and assembling beds for local children in need — at Jockey International, 2300 60th St., on Thursday.

The effort was made possible through a partnership between Jockey Being Family and the Kenosha-Racine chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

In the next couple of weeks, dozens of single beds and bunk beds will be delivered to local families.

Brass Community School teacher Amanda Acosta recently welcomed three foster kids into her home. The only problem was finding a place for them to sleep.

“Last minute, I got a call that some students needed a foster home,” Acosta said. “Although I was not prepared, I said absolutely.”

Sleep in Heavenly Peace arrived with three beds within hours.

There are nearly 175 kids in Kenosha on a waiting list to receive a bed.

Kenosha’s Heather Stockholm was one of several Jockey employees who volunteered on the project.

“To imagine a kid that’s sleeping on the floor in the corner of their room is just a horrible thing to think about,” Stockholm said.

Kenosha Police Department had eight volunteers sanding and prepping boards for soon-to-be beds. They will be delivered and assembled, complete with new pillows, bedding, and a Jockey stuffed animal.

“Throughout my career, I have gone and seen maybe a mattress on the floor or a pile of blankets being called a bed,” Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said. “This just gives some sort of stability. Something they can call their own.”

Jockey volunteer Brandon Franz said he was inspired by Acosta’s story.

“Maybe I need to start stepping up in other areas of my life,” Franz said. “Not exactly fostering kids or adoption or anything, but in a lot of other areas. I could probably do better.”