Ashley Furniture Delivers Beds for Children

Ashley Furniture President says ‘every child deserves a good night’s sleep’

INDIO — Ashley Furniture delivered new beds and bedding in Indio on Wednesday to be used for children entering Riverside County foster care on an emergency basis.

Ashley Furniture Homestore established Hope to Dream in 2010. Since then the program has provided 110,000 children in North America with new beds, pillows and bedding with a donated portion of mattress sales from participating Ashley stores. The company’s Colton-based store donated a total of 50 new beds to children entering Riverside County foster care in December.

Ashley Homestore President Kurt Haines said the company wants to provide a good night’s sleep to children who might otherwise suffer the negative physical and emotional effects of sleep deprivation.

“It is our belief that every child deserves a good night’s sleep,” Haines said.

More than 4,000 children are in Riverside County’s foster care on any given day, said Charity Douglas, assistant director of Children’s Services. Douglas said she was ‘thrilled’ by the support of Ashley Homestore for youngsters and teens in foster care.

“We are grateful our community, business and faith-based partners are working together to bring support and resources to our foster youth,” Douglas said. “Through a spirit of caring, we work together to help children achieve stability, healing and hope at an extremely difficult time in their lives.”

Irene Capen, manager of Faith in Motion, called the new beds a “blessing” on Wednesday. Faith in Motion contracts with the Department of Public Social Services to recruit foster families and ensures children and caregivers have the resources they need.

Each child entering foster care must have their own bed before being placed with a family, Capen said. Many of the new beds will go to relative placements so children can remain with family members, who often are responding to unexpected and emergency situations.

“We want children to remain with family members whenever possible,” Capen said, thanking Ashley Homestore for recognizing the essential needs of foster children.

Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who represents the Coachella Valley, thanked Ashley Homestore for supporting foster children and families in the desert.

While it would be easy for many to take a new bed and bedding for granted, Perez said the common household items mean more to children in foster care and the families that want to help them.

“Providing a child with the sanctuary of a good night’s sleep and sweet dreams helps put them on a brighter path forward in school and in life,” Perez said. “Thank you to Ashley Homestore for its contribution to our children and communities.”

To learn more about Faith in Motion and how you can support children in foster care, email Irene Capen at icapen@fosterall.org or call 951-228-5553.