By Kirk Kern
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a non-profit organization that builds twin beds for youths ages 3 to 17 across the Las Vegas Valley, but it definitely has a major Skye Canyon presence.
The local chapter president, Chris McDowell, has lived in Skye Canyon since 2017 as does Delivery Coordinator Ileana Privetera. Robin Trainer, another volunteer, also lives in Skye Canyon.
McDowell and Privetera recently traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a national SHP event in May where 320 of the organization’s members along with 5,500 Lowes employees and 32 vendor partners got together to built a record 5,000 beds in less than 24 hours that were sent to 16 neighboring states to help children get beds.
“The national event was nothing short of amazing,” Privetera said. “I was asked to attend as a standby in February but as the build approached some volunteers had to back out so I was asked to go in April and wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.”
Privetera got involved in SHP in October of 2021, three months after moving to Skye Canyon from Southern California. She responded to a Facebook post from chapter president McDowell. She was familiar with the organization from the Facebook series Returning the Favor but there wasn’t a chapter near her Southern California home at the time.
“When I saw the post in 2021 asking for volunteers, I knew I was meant to somehow become involved with SHP,” she said.
She started as a volunteer, pitching in wherever needed and took over the role of Delivery Coordinator in 2023. Her primary function is to process the applications and contract the recipient families to schedule delivery.
“I’m fortunate enough to be retired so I have the time to take this on as a full-time hobby,” she said.
Chapter President McDowell is originally from Colorado and moved to Las Vegas in 2016 and then to Skye Canyon in 2027. McDowell started the Las Vegas chapter in 2019 but COVID impacted the chapter’s initial efforts. But since its inception, the group has delivered 1,642 beds, including 403 last year.
“Chris’ drive to help children is why Las Vegas has a chapter,” Privetera said. “He is the heart and soul of the team.”
SHP builds twin beds from raw lumber and delivers them free of charge to families with children ages 3-17. They include the frame, mattress, sheets, comforter and pillow. The chapter services numerous zip codes throughout the Las Vegas Valley and is hoping to grow its team to expand into more areas around town.
“Bedlessness is not an actual word in the dictionary, but it is very much an actual problem,” Privetera said. “Approximately 2-3% of children in our communities don’t have a bed of their own, which equates to roughly 9,000-13,500 children in Las Vegas. Over the years, we’ve met many volunteers at our bed-building events, some of whom are successful adults that grew up never having a bed as a child. I know what I feel like when I don’t get a good night’s sleep. I also know what it feels like to have a space all my own and somewhere to decompress and quiet my mind.
“I can’t imagine not having that and that’s what got me involved and what keeps me staying involved.”
Besides her SHP crew, Privetera said she’s made many friends from her Skye Canyon neighbors.
“I lived in my old neighborhood for 20-plus years and couldn’t tell you the names of more than three or four of them,” she said. “Here, I know a majority of my neighbors and they’re all family-oriented and care about the community in which they live. It’s just nice to be in a space where people take pride in where they live.”