Getting a good night’s rest is hard enough for the average person tucked snugly in bed.
So, imagine how impossible adequate sleep must be for those who have little more than blankets on the floor.
Fortunately, Sweet Dream Makers is committed to providing beds for impoverished children and families throughout Palm Beach County. Led by founder Suzanne Broad, the Boca Raton-based nonprofit supplied 917 beds in 2017 and 1,587 in 2018.
“Boca Raton is a beautiful area with generous people,” Broad says. “The outpouring of help we receive when people realize the need is incredible. A lot of people just don’t realize there are so many people right here in our own community that are in desperate need.”
She came face-to-face with privation while volunteering at her child’s school.
“The teacher told me that [one somber female student] had outgrown her school uniform and her family couldn’t afford to replace it,” she recalls. “I went to Target and bought her new clothing. It only cost me [a little], and it changed the girl’s whole demeanor. And it gave her mom a little break.”
Broad continued providing clothing to community members in need, becoming a resource for teachers, police, child care providers and community agencies. Deciding she wanted to give back even more, she founded Sweet Dream Makers in 2016, and the organization received its first major grant – of $10,000 – from the Boca West Children’s Foundation.
Sweet Dream Makers relies heavily on monetary donations to supply new bedding and beds, which are delivered and assembled within 24 to 48 hours of order placement.
“It’s important for us to get children off the floor right away,” Broad says. “The families are so appreciative. So many families have never had anything new.”
And those beds, which cost about $250 each, are more than just furniture. They’re game changers, Broad says: “People tell me, ‘My daughter was so sad before, but now she brings friends over.’ Another told me,‘I never realized my son was such a good person. Now that he’s getting sleep, he helps around the house.’ People ask me all the time what keeps me doing this. Stories like that keep me going.” O
For more information, call 561-571-SDM3 or visit sweetdreammakers.org.