Thanks to a recent collaboration between Ashley and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, 30 children from the Boys and Girls Club of North Alabama learned that to dream for a career among the stars, they must first begin with a good night’s sleep. At the culmination of a special educational tour that the Rocket Center provided for the Boys and Girls Club group on Thursday, April 6, the students were presented with beds of their own from Ashley's Hope to Dream Program.
Woody Marks, President of Huntsville Wholesale Furniture, the licensee that owns and operates Ashley stores in North and Central Alabama, is passionate about the Hope to Dream program. “We at Ashley believe that sleep is an important part of anyone’s development, which is why the Hope to Dream program was created. To realize your full potential as a productive, responsible citizen—or an astronaut—you need a great bed,” Marks said.
Since its inception in 2010, the Ashley Hope to Dream program has provided beds to more than 50,000 children. A portion of all mattress sales at participating Ashley stores goes to the Hope to Dream program.
The bed that each child received at Thursday’s event, which included a frame, mattress, and bedding, were delivered to each child’s home the following morning.
“Like the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Alabama, our mission at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Space Camp is to help students envision their future and give them the tools to dream big,” Pat Ammons, the Rocket Center’s Director of Communications, said. “We were happy to host these students and see them receive a bed of their own. We hope this event, taking place under the awe-inspiring Saturn V moon rocket, will inspire toward their own bright future.”
The children visited the Rocket Center’s “Science on Orbit” and “Weather to Climate” exhibits before enjoying dinner at the Rocket Center’s weekly Biergarten. Nearly 800 visitors to the family-friendly Biergarten were on hand to witness the presentation of the beds. The Boys and Girls Club of North Alabama was the Rocket Center’s partner charity for the Biergarten, and received a portion of the proceeds from the Thursday event.