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Local children don't have beds. Here's how you can help

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LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Having a bed to sleep in is something people often take for granted, but there are local families struggling to provide a good night of rest for their children.

A local organization is working to fill that need in Lorain County.

“We build and provide twin size beds, everything is new, brand new sheets, pillows, pillowcases, mattresses,” said Good Knights of Lorain County Founder and Executive Director Roger Dorsey.

According to astudyfrom the National Institutes of Health, "children who got less sleep had more mental health and behavioral challenges than those who got enough sleep."

Providing beds is a personal mission for Dorsey. He moved to Elyria as a child. His mother was fleeing domestic violence.

“The first three years I was in Ohio my aunt had three kids, my mom had four, we were staying in a three bedroom 1000 square foot house and most nights those three years, my bed was on a pile of clothes in the closet,” Dorsey said.

News 5 first reported on Dorsey’s efforts in 2018.

Elyria man builds beds for children so that no kid has to sleep on the floor

RELATED: Elyria man builds beds for children so that no kid has to sleep on the floor

Then, he led the nationally connected organization Sleep in Heavenly Peace Lorain County.

In 2020, he started Good Knights.

“The major benefit is we’re able to keep all the resources that we bring in right here in Lorain County, whereas that wasn’t the case before,” he said.

Over the years, volunteers have delivered thousands of beds in Lorain County and beyond.

In February 2024, fundraising began to build a new warehouse in Elyria to keep up with the growing demand. About $100,000 is still needed to finish the more than 8100 sq ft building. The current facility in Amherst is 2500 square feet.

“Most people don’t realize that there’s the number of kids out there that just don’t have a bed,” he said. “We were in apartments this week that the only furniture they had was what we put in there.”

Veronica Irizarry of Lorain has taken in her young cousins, and Good Knights delivered beds.

“We received [the children] on emergency custody,” she said. “They deserve a lot and they deserve to be happy and that’s my main goal is to make sure that they’re well taken care of, and they’re happy, and they feel safe.”

She believes the beds are one piece of that.

“I’m just happy that they’re able to see the good in the world and not everything is bad,” she said.

For more information on volunteering or donating, click here.

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