In 2017, the Hopkins Rotary club began looking for a new service project that would impact the local community. They learned about Beds for Kids sponsored by the Buffalo Rotary Club and felt it would be a great project to emulate. Through the efforts of the Hopkins Chief of Police and Rotarian Brent Johnson, Hopkins Rotary Foundation Chair Tom Johnson, Hopkins School District School Liaison officer Jessica Thomas, the Restwell Mattress Company, and club members, the Beds For Kids Program was launched. Together they embarked on their first delivery on February 2018 to a home in Hopkins, giving four children who had been sleeping on the floor, a more comfortable place to rest. Each child received a bed frame, box spring, twin sized mattress, mattress cover, sheet set, blanket, and pillow.
Cathy Carlson, president of Restwell Mattress Company, provides the beds at a discount rate of $260 each with the 11th bed provided at no cost. She is also a member of the Minnetonka Rotary Club and introduced the project to our Foundation. In May 2018, our Foundation approved funding to cover the cost of the bedding, which is $50 per bed.
By December 2018, the two clubs had exceeded the initial goal of 50 beds and delivered 72 beds to youths in the area. The total financial contribution by both clubs now tops $19,000. Together, we plan to continue the program as long as there is a need in the community.