When Dr. Kelly Nelson and others involved with Medbrook Children’s Charity began setting up for a Sleep in Heavenly Peace bunkbed build Saturday in the parking lot of the Mountaineer Medical Building on the campus of United Hospital Center he was a bit worried.

 

It was 7 a.m., and the good doctor saw it was going to be a beautiful fall day. That, he knew, may mean people taking advantage of the weather as well as the fact West Virginia University had a football game that afternoon.

 

“We were worried we may not have enough volunteers,” said Nelson.

 

The worry was unfounded. Throughout the morning and into the afternoon, the local chapter also had 177 volunteers. It appears they may have something else – a world record for Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed builds.

 

The planned 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. event never made it to 4 p.m. Roughly $8,000 purchased from Lowe’s was gone and the site was empty and cleaned prior to WVU’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Oklahoma State.

 

“We did 110 beds. We know that is Harrison County record for the local chapter (headed by Dave Lang) and we’re pretty sure it is a world record. The best we have heard is that two chapters in Canada teamed up to do 100 beds,” said Nelson. “We should have a more concrete answer in a day or two, but as far as we know we have the record.”

 

Not too bad for a nonprofit organization that provides beds for children who do not have beds to sleep in. And the organization has been operating primarily nationally, but also beyond U.S. borders, since 2012.

 

And what if it is not a record?

 

“I’m not going to be upset, but just accept it and set the challenge to top it next year. My wife and I have already received a ton of texts telling us they want to volunteer next year,” said Nelson.

 

Nelson said the Medbrook Children’s Charity will sponsor it again, as it falls under the guise of assisting needy children in North Central West Virginia. This year, the Nelson-led charity assisted another charity by providing the supplies, materials, and lunch for the volunteers so there was no cost for the local Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter.

 

“We would have topped the number we had if we hadn’t run out of wood,” said Nelson.

 

Volunteers were plenty. In fact, Nelson said description of the site sounding “like a beehive” was accurate as it was one component continuous for six-plus hours.

 

“The amount of sanding is mind boggling. We you break down the actual time each volunteer spent, you get about 800-man hours of time donated,” said Nelson. “Dave (Lang) came to me at 11 a.m. after seeing all those volunteers and said I think everyone is going to be home watching the Mountaineer game.

 

“Initially, he was hopeful, but a bit skeptical when he met with me and (Dr.) Jaclyn Rominger about the record of 100 beds,” Nelson continued. “We just told him we would do. That’s how we roll with our organization.”

 

Nelson said several groups, including Bridgeport Key Club, Harrison County HOPE Lions Club, and a strong presence from United Hospital Center helped man things. He also gave a huge shout out to Coach A.J. Harman and the Liberty High School football team and cheerleaders for a large entourage. Nelson added there were others he may have missed, but they were all appreciated.

 

“It is just a testament to the good people in Harrison County, even amidst the pandemic … Because of COVID we were forced to physically distance ourselves, but because of the cause we were able to socially connect,” said Nelson.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Dr. Kelly Nelson of Medbrook Children's Charity putting in some work, while the rest of the photos shows some of the nearly 180 volunteers that showed up Saturday. Bottom photo shows Dave Lang, head of the local Sleep in Heavenly Peace Chapter, with Joey Signorelli. More photos coming this week on Connect-Bridgeport. Photos by Ben Queen Photography.