As a way to complete her required sophomore service hours, Olivia Lagos decided to work with a Minnesota based company called My Very Own Bed. Lagos first heard about My Very Own Bed during a Community Action and Service club meeting. The club began working with My Very Own Bed in early November as they began planning a school wide event to support the company. Soon after, Lagos was presented with the opportunity to volunteer with My Very Own Bed for five hours one Saturday morning.

“I was a little skeptical to sign up at first just because I had no idea what to expect, but then I realized that volunteering with My Very Own Bed would be a good way to get my hours done and I had already worked with them for the blanket tying event,” Lagos said.

Once Lagos signed up, she convinced her other friends in the club that it would be a good way for them to get their hours done too.

“It was pretty easy to get them to sign up, mostly because they realized that it would be a really fun way to hang out with each other and give back,” Lagos said.

As the day to volunteer arrived, Lagos met at school with her friends and got ready to start working. Once the group arrived at My Very Own Bed’s office, they began preparing kits for the drop offs that they would do later in the day.

“Basically, we had a bunch of different papers that indicated what each family wanted for their room. My Very Own Bed works with different families around Minnesota and helps them organize a bedroom or two that will ensure a good nights sleep. The kit that I organized was for a young boy that really liked superheros, so we found bedding, pillows, and stuffed animals that went along with what he liked,” Lagos said.

After preparing the kits, Lagos and the other volunteers drove to different houses to drop off the bedding and meet the families.

“It was a really cool experience to be able to meet the families that I helped and actually see them get into their new bed for the first time,” Lagos said.

Lagos’ advice to anyone looking to begin volunteering is to do something that makes you scared.

“I was kind of intimidated at first but after doing My Very Own Bed one time, I want to try to branch out to other volunteer opportunities. I think it’s really important to branch out on what you’re used to doing, and try something new,” Lagos said.