Alexie, Pilkey books among most 'challenged' of past decade

125726079_web1_Coronavirus--1-

14 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Luzerne County

DALLAS &mdash; Some 56 volunteers joined with 10 team members of Sleep in Heavenly Peace to build 41 beds for area children in need.
				Denise Ogurkis, president of the Luzerne County chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, said the volunteers were from the Church of Saint Therese in Shavertown. Terri Besecker hosted the event at her home in Dallas.
				&ldquo;This was awesome,&rdquo; Ogurkis said of Saturday&rsquo;s event. &ldquo;We built 41 beds. The message is our church community coming together to build new beds for children in Luzerne County who sleep on the floor. Our tag-line is &lsquo;no kid sleeps on the floor in our town.&rsquo;&rdquo;
				The 41 new beds bring the organization&rsquo;s total to more than 200 beds. Ogurkis said Sleep in Heavenly in Peace has more than 400 requests for beds.
				&ldquo;We need to continue building these beds, and we need donations,&rdquo; Ogurkis said.
				To donate, make checks payable to:
				Sleep in Heavenly Peace Luzerne County
				P.O. Box 2000
				Kingston, PA 18704
				Volunteers carried wood, others cut it up for bed parts and others worked to assemble the beds. It was a concerted effort, and Ogurkis said the group worked in two shifts to complete all the beds.
				Ogurkis said when she attended a convention in Salt Lake City in 2018 with her two daughters, they were invited to be part of a &ldquo;build day.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;We had no idea what this was or even meant, nor did we ever hear of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.,&rdquo; Ogurkis said. &ldquo;My daughters and I decided, after receiving an inquiry, to take part in &lsquo;build day.&rsquo; Truth be told, at this point we still were not sure what our part would be. But it involved helping children, from what I could gather on the website, and we were all in&rdquo;
				Ogurkis said she was moved by the mission of the organization. She said she knows the feeling of not having a bed of her own.
				&ldquo;I know what it was like to share a bed and bedroom with three sisters,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It happens, it&rsquo;s real, and it&rsquo;s not something a child should experience ever. Every child deserves a bed of their very own to sleep in. No matter what is happening around them, no matter the uncertainty, no matter the volatile situations, no matter the challenges economically every child deserves to sleep in a safe zone and a place they feel protected &mdash; their own bed.&rdquo;
				Ogurkis returned home from Salt Lake City and started her own chapter here in Luzerne County &mdash; Sleep in Heavenly Peace Luzerne County.
				Sleep in Heavenly Peace aims to give children a safe place to sleep through the construction of beds.
				&ldquo;What we do is come together as a community,&rdquo; Ogurkis said. &ldquo;We build beds for kids in Luzerne County who don&rsquo;t have a place to sleep.&rdquo;
				The Luzerne County chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace is one of nearly 200 chapters across 44 states and three countries. The organization started in Twin Falls, Idaho.

125732532_web1_BEDS-5

Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteers make 41 beds for area children