For Greene County News
CEDARVILLE – New construction or renovations to Cedarville University campus while students are on summer vacation are typical activities for the physical plant staff.
This summer, however, the employees have been collecting 200 mattresses and 80 bed frames that will be donated to the Bed Brigade, a Columbus-based ministry of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Representatives from Bed Brigade and Cedarville University will come together on Friday, July 24 at Cedarville University to load the mattresses and frames on a truck so they can be given to lower income people in Columbus. The mattresses and bed frames were used by college students in Johnson, Palmer, and St. Clair residence halls. Last year Cedarville sent 215 mattresses to Bed Brigade.
“We enjoy looking for ways to give back to our community, or region,” said Dedra Wrigglesworth, manager of facility services at Cedarville University. “In partnering with the Bed Brigade, we’re able to send good, usable beds and mattresses to people who have a need for them.”
The partnership between the Bed Brigade and Cedarville University began last year when Jeff Stenerson from Bed Brigade contacted Cedarville’s Rod Johnson, associate vice president for operations, about the possibility of getting used mattresses for the ministry. Johnson located 215 mattresses that the university was replacing and offered them to the Bed Brigade.
“We happened to be replacing 215 mattresses last year and the timing was perfect,” Wrigglesworth said. “We will continue to donate used mattresses as long as we have the resources to do so, and there’s still a need.”
“It’s a service-oriented activity that people can get involved in on a variety of levels,” Stenerson said. “It’s a great way to meet a very real material need for families who are financially strapped, while also planting seeds of hope and faith.”
More information on the Bed Brigade can be found at www.stjohnsgc.org or through its Facebook page at Bed Brigade – Grove City.