New initiative aims to provide underprivileged children with beds

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A new initiative in New Hanover County aims to help some children by providing them with beds.

According to Ruthie Trammel’s Champions for Compassion, hundreds of kids in our area sleep on the floor, on chairs, or on the couch.

The new program called Dream Big will provide children with high quality self-inflating air mattresses, sheets, pillows, and blankets.

Champions for Compassion is collaborating with school social workers and NHRMC to help identify children who could benefit from sleeping accommodations and collect deidentified data to “track the impact.”

Organization president Rebecca Trammel says she didn’t know how bad the problem was until a school guidance counselor told her what a student wished for for Christmas:

“It was just like wow, this seven-year-old asked for a bed for Christmas for her and her little sister so they didn’t have to sleep on the floor,” Trammel said. “And I began to ask a lot of questions and I learned that this is very common.”

Families can apply by contacting their school social worker. The deadline is Friday.

The group hopes to provide 200 children with beds by the end of the month. They are considering expanding to Brunswick and Pender Counties in the future.

Click here for more information and to donate. Trammel expects this first wave will cost around $30,000.