On a December morning, there was a beehive of activity in the Higher Purpose building on East Holland Avenue in the southeast side of Saginaw.

the students are from the Saginaw I-s-d Intermediate School District's Transition Center, a program for adults ages 18 to 26 with disabilities.

They're learning how to repair and refinish donated furniture.

More on them later.

What is is a freebie.

These are the extra one just now.

This is a real Yeah.

And you The senior citizens are volunteers for the Saginaw chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

They are getting ready to deliver beds built at higher purpose.

So lives.

We gather here this morning, we ask you to give us safety.

And may we make a difference in a child's life this day.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Tim Stevens is the neighborhood renewal manager for Higher Purpose, a branch of the Rescue Ministries of Mid-Michigan which started with the City Rescue Mission.

Higher Purpose.

Was born out of a vision, that began when a businessman, a local businessman, felt compelled to reach out to rescue ministries.

And our CEO, Dan Streeter, went and met with them.

And they just started hashing out ideas of what it would look like to prevent folks from needing services provided by the shelter.

What would prevent homelessness?

So out of that, then, they hired Serena Johnson to come in and start renovating this this building.

And then we began coming up.

Well, they came up with a lot of ideas.

We have since began to implement them.

One of them being neighborhood renewal.

So I worked directly in in a neighborhood just north of Highland here between 20th and 17th.

The unity in the community.

Neighborhood.

We try to follow the M.O.. That one week, one street started years ago.

So we go into the neighborhood and look for, ways that we can help neighbors with deferred maintenance items.

So that their home, won't won't fall into a state of disrepair where they might end up homeless.

We try to cover a variety of opportunities for volunteers to come in and get involved in the community.

You can you can get involved with Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

You can get involved with one week, one street.

And then we also have many opportunities to help within the neighborhood right here, whether it's, helping with landscaping.

Repairing a porch.

Helping clean gutters and repair gutters.

There's there's a variety of chances to get involved.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a national organization.

The Saginaw chapter is based here.

We once a month, we come together and build as a team.

The third Saturday of the month.

We get together and build about 50 to 60 beds.

And then over the course of the next four weeks, we take them out and deliver them to kids under 18.

Free of charge.

If you'd like to apply for a bed, it's a sheep bed.

Sorg.

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This morning, the team of volunteers and two of the transition students delivered and assembled two twin bed sets at their first stop.

All right.

Program that way to And then the team dressed each bit.

Okay.

Which side you want up in school yet?

Oh, I don't know.

Looks like that one right here.

Lee and Gloria Hubble are two of the volunteers.

Volunteering for Sleep in Heavenly peace is important to the community.

There are so many children that are less fortunate.

And to come home if they're not here and to to find a bed that's made and and that's theirs that they can call their own, it's got to be very heartwarming and very exciting for them.

Horizon.

Right now I haven't I personally was surprised when I knew I was told that there's children without beds, so there is a real need in the community and people have put together the organization to to have beds and have, know how to make the, the frames that work well for the children.

I've enjoyed, you know, working with my hands in helping to make them.

But also to deliver the beds and, see a bedroom here, you know, without any bed until we bring them in and put them, put them in for the two, two daughters here, in this case.

So I found it enjoyable to do.

And it, there's a lot of need in the community, back at Higher Purpose.

Jerry Fritz, a paraprofessional at the Transition Center for 17 years, helps the students develop their skills.

you might want to tap on that.

I mean.

Tap it like on the edge.

Like this.

Oh, just This is the first school year.

Higher purpose has served as a work site for the ISD.

One of many.

It was developed by the now retired principal Bridget Urich and is now supported by the new principal, Mitch Wheatcroft.

The goal is to empower students.

To make informed decisions.

And to live independently.

Whether you're at, school work or your personal life.

Jerry works with another para pro on the project.

Bob Craig out on delivery this morning.

Jerry came to the ISD after 40 years working for the Eaton Corporation.

He's also the Carrollton Township clerk.

He's 79 years old.

Jerry enjoys working with the students.

I've evolved, after working at UConn for so many years.

And to come in here and have a real purpose in life.

To feel that satisfaction of showing these students how to work, how to be independent thinkers.

It's just been, a joy, for me.

Jerry's advice for a new retiree.

Well, for a person who just retired.

I think that they got to almost combine their, their, their core values and to seek out something that's satisfying.

You know, I see so many retirees, leaving the place to retire, and that's it.

And their life is almost basically over at that time.

But if you have a passion for something, then I would suggest that you pick that mantle up.

For me, I needed that that space where I could go out and work with the public.

I've been in public, for the better part of my life.

And to serve and to empower, yourself.

Empower others.

It's a lifelong commitment, but it's a blessing in disguise.

The furniture the students restore goes out to people in need.

relocate these braces.

city rescue mission and Burt Street is includes, a program called Impact Design on their campus.

Impact design was born out of, recognizing the the high rate of recidivism as folks left shelter and ended up coming back.

So impact design was born out of, that that that trouble.

They set up a program where folks would take some, some courses, some classes on finance, you know, understanding how to run their home.

And once they complete the class, impact design goes out and sets up an apartment or a house with with the beds, with the couch, with the kitchen, silverware, it puts up curtains, pictures on the wall.

They find out, you know, kind of what, what would make this place feel like a home to the client that's coming out of shelter?

So that facility can only house so much furniture.

So anything that's donated there, that they can't hold then comes over here and, you can see some of the material in the background that's come over here.

In addition to the transitions program, Higher Purpose has held classes for the community and basic home maintenance, parenting skills, leadership, and healthy cooking.

They've also offered career workshops and case management as a resource.

Some of the ways the public can get involved is by donating money, furniture, bedding, and time.

In order to serve here at Higher Purpose, because we've got such a diverse, combination of available options to serve... You don't have to have any skill set.

If you're good with carpentry or electrical, we can certainly try and fit you into that.

But, no skills required.

We've all heard it Takes a village, and it really does.

So get involved.

You'll love it.

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