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In collaboration with local nonprofit Sleep In Heavenly Peace, the Syracuse University Volunteer Organization broke its personal record by building 116 beds for children on Saturday at South Campus’ Skybarn.

After building 88 beds last year and 44 the year prior, SUVO President Ava Portney said Saturday’s event was their most successful yet — given their “ambitious” goal of building just 100 beds.

Volunteers for Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s Syracuse chapter have built and delivered over 7,600 beds for children in need since 2018, Syracuse’s chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace Co-President Dave Hoalcraft said. Friday’s event marked the third consecutive year SUVO partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a local nonprofit that builds and distributes beds for children in need.

“We’ve been planning this for seven months, since August, and we have gotten endless support and outreach,” Portney said. “The passion and dedication from SU students to help this cause is really high.”

Halfway through the workshop, Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens arrived at the sawdust-filled barn, encouraging volunteers to continue getting off campus to support their community. She highlighted several nonprofit organizations and opportunities for government work in the city.

An alum herself, Owens emphasized the impact of her volunteer experiences during her time at SU. She said having people in leadership roles, such as herself, show their support for volunteer events like the bed build is important.

“This (event) substantiates what I already know as a former student of Syracuse University,” Owens said. “So this is (a) testament to the heart of the students on this campus … It takes a community to help a community.”

Hoalcraft, also an SU alum, spoke about what it means to support children in Syracuse, and the organization’s “simple but powerful” mission statement: “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”

“For a child that is having a hard time, especially if they don’t have a bed, a little bit of luck along the way can really do some amazing stuff for that kid,” Hoalcraft said. “So, this is just one way to be able to bring luck to a lot of kids.”

Hoalcraft said his work is influenced by his own life as an adopted child from the Syracuse foster care system, inspiring him to continue uplifting children living in poverty.

“A little girl told me one day, she says, ‘I sleep right here, I sleep on the floor with a blanket.’ And I said, ‘Oh, no, we’re gonna make you a bed.’ She goes, ‘No, I sleep right here,’” Hoalcraft said. “It’s because that’s all she’d ever known. We changed her normal, just like my normal got changed in my life. We gave her some luck.”

SUVO Treasurer Cody Wade also said his own life experiences make giving back to those who are struggling much more meaningful.

“It really means the world to me, and to imagine their faces lighting up,” Wade said. “Being able to go to the deliveries on Saturdays, to actually deliver the beds and see that impact firsthand, means so much to me, because the city has become a second home living here for the past four years.”

One of SUVO Vice President Ryan Edwards’ biggest goals for the program is to bridge the gap between the university and the city.

“It’s sometimes really hard with campus feeling like a bubble, and it’s so important that we bridge that gap and get people connected with the local community,” Edwards said. “It is such an honor and a privilege to be able to do this, and it’s so important to get out in the community and help others.”

Lara Sare, SUVO’s secretary and director of public relations, said her goal is to create a long-lasting impact during her time at SU through volunteer work.

As of 2024, the child poverty rate in Syracuse sits at over 40%. Syracuse previously ranked first in the nation for child poverty among places with over 100,000 residents. Despite declining numbers in the last few years, Syracuse still sits at number four.

Hoalcraft said nearly half of the children passing by on a school bus live in poverty, but people should remain optimistic given Syracuse’s community advocacy.

“The nice thing about the city of Syracuse that I’ve learned is that it’s a very giving town as well,” Hoalcraft said. “We have companies that are local, that help sponsor beds and help pay for the mattresses and the lumber and things like that. We have students today at Syracuse University who raised that money. They did that fundraising.”

Emphasizing the importance of students’ work, Hoalcraft said the volunteers also speak for the city as a whole and its tendency to give.

Sare said SUVO is already planning for next year’s fundraiser, and the team hopes to surpass its 100-bed goal again.

After the first half of the workshop finished, Wade said he was moved by seeing volunteers become emotional. He said he hoped they could remember the good work they did, but also acknowledge there is always more to be done.

“Nothing you do is ever small, no matter what you do. It could snowball into something much larger,” Wade said. “It all adds up to a greater goal.”

Published on February 22, 2026 at 11:06 pm