This local group races beds on wheels around Easton every year for a good cause
We’ve heard about rolling out of bed, but have you ever heard of rolling with your bed? At the 2021 Furniture Bank of Central Ohio’s Bed Race, there’s no time for sleeping. Now in its fifth year, the event raised $42,258 for purchasing essential furniture for families in need, specifically children who don’t have beds.
Development Director Christine Mills has been with the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio since January and has already seen the massive impact the organization has.
“It’s such a unique event,” she said. “Everyone told me ahead of time that people dress up for it and I thought, ‘Well okay’ but there really wasn’t a team that wasn’t dressed up. People get so into it. We’re so excited for next year.”
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The Bed Race is a fundraising event where teams enter their decorated beds on wheels and race across an Easton Town Center parking lot to the finish line. Since its conception in 2016, the event has raised nearly $200,000 with 500-plus participants total.
While the winning team this year (the event took place on Oct 2.) was Sauder Woodworking and its Mystery Machine-themed bed, the true winners are the thousands of children in Central Ohio who are now able to go to sleep at night, safe and comfortable in a bed.
“I think our mission is a big reason why people get involved,” Mills said. “When people think of essential furniture, they have to know it’s more than furniture. It’s providing that essential furniture so families can have dinner around a table instead of cardboard boxes or a dinner table to eat on or a bed to read stories to their child.”
“It’s so important,” Mills added. “It’s creating moments and memories and giving the base and foundation for children to get a good night’s sleep before school to be successful.”
The Bed Race is already scheduled for October 1, 2022. No one is sleeping on the planning, and Mills is getting a head start on making this upcoming race the best ever.
“With the year still being left over from the pandemic, we didn’t have as many teams as we wanted, but we had so many new engagements,” she said. “I’m excited to see where we can head next year.”
Mills pointed out that there are many charity walks and runs in central Ohio, but only one bed race.
“It’s so unique,” she said. “To be able to get out there and be goofy and have fun while at the same time knowing you’re making an important impact.”
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