“Hailey, head up, this test is for a grade, it’s important!” Trisha told the child. “She put her head up, but still did not do her test,” Trisha remembers. “I was a tad annoyed. I knew she knew the answers.”
After the test, Trisha called the youngster to her desk, showed her the blank test she’d handed in and asked why she hadn’t completed it. Hailey said she was just too tired. “I didn’t take this excuse lightly and was upset with her. I told her she needed to get to bed early and sleep at home,” Trisha says. ” School was where she came to learn, not sleep! She looked at me and said, ‘I do go to bed early, but don’t sleep so well.’ She said it was cold on the floor, even with her blanket. She said all five of the children in her home slept on the floor.”
Trisha said it was on that day that she learned half of her class of 6- and 7-year-olds slept on the floor.
“For two years, I brainstormed, dreamt and prayed about how I could help these children,” Trisha says. “That’s how Snuggled Up Inc. was born.”
HOW IT HELPS
The mission is simple but critical: to provide beds and bedding to children. Since its founding, the organization has located hundreds of new children who now have new beds as well as sheets, blankets, pillows and comforters to keep them cozy at night.
Each child over the age of 2 is given a sturdy cot with a thin washable mattress, a new pillow, new sheet set, and a new thick cuddly blanket. The items are known as “Snuggle Kits.” Babies are given Pack-N-Plays. “The beds are easily transported, cleaned and disinfected for families in crisis,” Trish says.
In the past couple of years, the non-profit has grown, thanks to community support. Sixth-grade Eager Beaver football players, for example, helped unpack supplies and create Snuggle Kits; local businesses and organizations have supported with financial donations and one child decided to ask her friends to bring bedding items to her birthday party instead of gifts. One hundred percent of the donations, says Trish, goes back to the community.
The organization’s motto is “Giving Children A Soft Place to Dream.”
How our readers can help. Note that items must be new.
- Twin thick blanket
- Comforters
- Pillows
- Coleman Comfortsmart Folding Camping Cot (available at WalMart)
- Twin Sheet Sets
Donations can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays at Morrison Elementary School, 2235 Arthur Ave. Dayton, 45414
If you have other questions, contact Trisha Baxter at www.snuggledupinc@gmail.com
Other ways to help!
Snuggled Up Inc. hosts multiple drives and fundraisers throughout the year. For the latest projects visit www.facebook.com/snuggledupinc.
Donations can be made online or mailed to PO Box 341384, Dayton, 45434
Each week, staff writer Meredith Moss writes about non-profit organizations in our area and their needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: MMoss@coxohio.com
Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group’s mission.
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