Residence Hall Upgrades Benefit Bed Brigade

New construction or renovations to Cedarville University campus while students are on summer vacation is typical for the physical plant staff. This summer, however, the employees have been collecting 200 mattresses and 80 bedframes that will be donated to the Bed Brigade, a Columbus-based ministry of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

Representatives from Bed Brigade and Cedarville University will come together on July 24 at Cedarville University to load the mattresses and frames on a truck so they can be given to lower income people in Columbus. The mattresses and bedframes were used by college students in Johnson, Palmer, and St. Clair residence halls. Last year Cedarville sent 215 mattresses to Bed Brigade.

“We enjoy looking for ways to give back to our community, or region,” said Dedra Wrigglesworth, manager of facility services at Cedarville University. “In partnering with the Bed Brigade, we’re able to send good, usable beds and mattresses to people who have a need for them.”
 
The partnership between the Bed Brigade and Cedarville University began last year when Jeff Stenerson from Bed Brigade contacted Cedarville’s Rod Johnson, associate vice president for operations, about the possibility of getting used mattresses for their ministry. Johnson located 215 mattresses that the university was replacing and offered them to the Bed Brigade.

“We happened to be replacing 215 mattresses last year and the timing was perfect,” said Wrigglesworth. “We will continue to donate used mattresses as long as we have the resources to do so, and there’s still a need.”

“It’s a service-oriented activity that people can get involved in on a variety of levels,’ said Stenerson. “It’s a great way to meet a very real material need for families who are financially strapped, while also planting seeds of hope and faith.”

More information on the Bed Brigade can be found at www.stjohnsgc.org or through its Facebook page at ‘Bed Brigade – Grove City’.

The St. John's Bed Brigade is an extension of the original Bed Brigade, which began at Vineyard Church Circleville. The organization co-founded by Cedarville alumnus Phil Milam (2015), who is currently serving as active duty with the United States Army in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,620 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings.