By C1 Staff
MANSFIELD, Ohio – Public safety workers in Ohio came together to stay awake for a good cause: raising money for a domestic violence shelter.
“I probably will push myself until probably Saturday night or Sunday morning,” said Nick Henry, corrections officer for the Richland County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s for a good cause.”
The Mansfield News Journal reports that Johnny’s Mattress and Furniture Superstore promised to award prizes to the team raising the most money for the Domestic Violence Shelter of Richland and Huron Counties.
They’d already netted $11,192 by noon on Friday, and the five volunteers in the inaugural fundraising event were still awake.
“I am absolutely blown away by the response. We thought a $10,000 goal was lofty. We’re about halfway to the new goal [$25,000],” said organizer John Matthes.
Five competitors agreed to stay awake as long as they possibly can during ‘The Great Sleep-out Against Domestic Violence,’ on mattresses set up under a 50-foot tent at the mattress store, starting Thursday night. Temperatures dipped into the mid-50s overnight, but only one competitor cuddled up under blankets to keep themselves awake.
“Everyone else was saying the cold was keeping them awake,” Matthes said.
Matthes said the Domestic Violence Shleter could greatly use both cash donations and personal items right now. Diapers are at the top of the list, but the shelter is also asking for blankets, pillows, gently used clean clothing, especially children’s, toiletries, cleaning supplies, dishwashing soap, and nonperishable food items.
The increased need is partly due to “the economy and a lack of resource for housing-related assistance in our community,” according to Katherine Ezawa, director of the shelter.
At the end of the sleep-out, Johnny’s will donate $3,000 worth of White Dove mattresses to the shelter, in addition to a portion of every sale made at the Mansfield store during the duration of the event.