Discover Englewood 2023
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1491872
M ia Conlon is a marine science teacher at Lemon Bay High School. But on a recent Saturday, she put her drill skills to work helping build beds for foster children. The longtime teacher and adviser for the Lemon Bay High School Key Club worked with Kiwanians and students from Charlotte and South Sarasota counties, making wooden headboards and footboards. The project was done in coordination with another nonprofit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace. The joint project, which also included church members, got volunteers cutting, drilling and sanding down plywood, assembling and staining the wooden frames. It was the brainchild of Kiwanis Lt. Gov. Linda Martin. "Our goal was making 20 beds, and we did it — it's my dream come true," said Martin, of the Punta Gorda After Hours club. "We supplied the labor of approximately 50 people, location and money." Each bed each costs $250, which included lumber, screws, bedding and mattress. "Many times when a foster child enters a home, they don't have anything but the clothes on their back or a garbage bag," she said, adding foster families can apply for a new bed for the child. The Sleep In Heavenly Peace nonprofit's goal is to work with local groups to give the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs through bed building and a supply for foster parents and children at risk for homelessness in areas served by the program. "This is a really great program that will help children," said Marian Taylor, of the Punta Gorda After Hours Club. She worked alongside of Myah Burby, 14, of the Port Charlotte Key Club sanding 2-by-4 pieces. The Kiwanis Division 17 and 18 includes clubs from Manatee to Punta Gorda. For more about Sleep in Heavenly Peace, visit shpbeds.org. People Helping People People Helping People By Elaine Allen-Emrich A. Kiwanis Club members from North Port, Englewood, Punta Gorda, Venice and Port Charlotte work together building head and foot boards. B. Dan Britton and Mike Hahn drill screw holes for the beds. C. Mia Conlon, left, represented the Englewood Kiwanis Club during the recent bed building session. She worked with Barbara Jordan and Heather Jorge. D. Myah Burby, 14, a Key Club member, sands the wood for beds. PHOTOS BY ELAINE ALLENEMRICH Kiwanians build beds for kids in need Regional project helps children A B C D Discover Englewood 2023 32