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West Roxbury Students Build Beds For Kids In Need

BOSTON (CBS) - Kids building beds for other kids who don't have them. And they're changing lives one bed at a time.

It's part of the Build-A-Bed Project through the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. Elementary school students raised money for the beds, and on Friday - with their own hands - it all became real.

It's the day they've been working towards at the Holy Name Parish School in West Roxbury. About 40 sixth graders are assembling beds in the gym.

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Students at Holy Name Parish School in West Roxbury built beds for children in need. (WBZ-TV)

"We're doing it to build beds for children who are too poor to get beds of their own," said student William Kirchman.

"This year, we raised enough money to get the pieces to get 13 beds. Last year we only got 8, so this is a really big improvement," added student Aoibhe Costello.

The fact that some children don't have proper beds is staggering.

"I have a bed at my house. All my siblings have beds. So just to think of people not having beds, that's sad," said student Evan Dalmanieras.

The beds will go to the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless for its A Bed For Every Child initiative. The need is great.

"We receive about 200 referrals per month for kids in need of beds. We haven't been able to meet the demand yet, but we are working toward that," said the Coalition's Albenny Arcangel. And so are the young people at Holy Name.

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Students at Holy Name Parish School in West Roxbury built beds for children in need. (WBZ-TV)

"I think it's cool because we're helping out, and not all schools do this," said student Liam Russell.

"One of the foundations of a child's readiness to learn is to have a good night's sleep, so we believe that by helping these children, we're actually helping the education of a child," said Diane Beatrice, a school administrator.

After two hours of work, you can see and touch the life-changing results. The new beds now go to a warehouse to be checked for quality control, and some of them will ship to families as early as next week.

The Coalition also has community build-a-bed events. They are looking for donors to sponsor beds for an event on June 22 at the Quincy Credit Union.

For more information, visit A Bed For Every Child's website.

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