FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 21, 2023
Media Contact:
Chris Hendrickson, Communications Manager
Seattle Police Foundation
425-205-0328 ● chris@seattlepolicefoundation.org
Beds for Kids program provides beds to kids who don’t already have them
SEATTLE, Wash. – Thank you to the Women’s University Club Foundation (WUCF) for the generous $18,500 donation to support the 2023 Beds for Kids Project!
The WUCF selected Beds for Kids as its Holiday Charity for 2022 thanks to the diligent advocacy of Seattle Police Foundation (SPF) board member Liz Day, who served as the Chair of the WUCF’s Holiday Charity initiative. In addition to raising funds annually via its holiday fundraiser, the WUCF’s Community Education and Outreach Council awards grants to music programs in public schools and offers educational programs to the public free of charge.
The Beds for Kids Project was a great fit for the WUCF, which prioritizes initiatives that have a positive impact on families, youth, and the community.
“Beds for Kids helps fill such an important need,” Day said. “Ultimately, this is about helping kids and families in our community, which is what the Women’s University Club of Seattle Foundation is all about. Beds for Kids merges several WUCF priorities, and our donors responded in a big way.”
Founded in 2014, Beds for Kids is an annual event aimed at helping Seattle families in need by providing beds to children who don’t already have them. At the 2022 event, a total of 300 bed sets were provided to young people in our community who had been sleeping on the floor. The importance of being able to sleep in a bed every night cannot be overstated. Sleep plays such a vital role in early childhood development and having a bed improves outcomes for our up-and-coming community leaders-to-be.
“This $18,500 is such a great way to jump-start our 2023 Beds for Kids fundraising,” said SPF President and CEO Cherie Skager. “We’re so grateful to the WUCF for its help to preserve and sustain this important legacy established nearly a decade ago by retired Seattle Police Officer Jeremy Wade and Officer Ryan Gallagher.”
Wade and Gallagher were on a routine call in Seattle one night, when they encountered two young girls living in a home with their grandparents. Both girls were sleeping on the floor. The next day, and with their own money, the officers purchased and set up brand new beds for the two young girls. The experience was incredibly fulfilling for both officers, who realized that many other children likely faced the same plight.
Beds for Kids has been around ever since.
“Beds for Kids is a fundamental part of who we are at the Seattle Police Foundation,” Skager said. “We believe beds are a basic need, just like food and water. This program not only provides beds for kids who don’t already have them but also builds priceless connections between the Seattle Police Department and the community.”
The 2023 Beds for Kids event takes place this fall, and this generous $18,500 donation from the WUCF is going to make such an important difference for so many families. If you would like to support this year’s Beds for Kids Project, please visit our website at: https://seattlepolicefoundation.org/beds-for-kids-project/.
The Seattle Police Foundation raises support and awareness for the Seattle Police Department. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and have proudly served the men and women of SPD and the Seattle community since 2002. Please learn more about us on our website.
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