Dozens of kids will be getting a better night’s sleep thanks to a special surprise.
On Wednesday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers collaborated with Dufresne Furniture and Sleep in Heavenly Peace for the 8th annual Dream Day at Princess Auto Stadium.
This event aims to provide more than 40 newly immigrated and local kids with the gift of better sleep.
“The kids here today are from the Sleep in Heavenly Peace organization, they work with our community to give access to the beds,” said Callie McLaughlin, community engagement marketing manager with Dufresne.
“There’s about 43 kids here today, 33 adults and 76 altogether. So it’s really a party here.”
During Wednesday’s event, each child received a personalized Blue Bombers jersey and got the chance to participate in activities with the team’s players. The day ended with a big surprise as each child was gifted a new bed to take home.
“I think it’s a very important thing for a child to have their own bed,” McLaughlin said.
“It’s so they can do things like this, have the energy for this and pay attention in school and make friends and have that access to creativity. When you sleep and are rested well, all of those possibilities are endless.”
To date, Dufresne has donated more than 1,150 mattresses to people in need across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario.