BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET)— Most of us don’t think twice about being able to sleep in a bed. It’s there day and night, made or unmade. Again, that’s for most of us. For those who aren’t so fortunate, one organization known for its community efforts is working on making a good night’s sleep an option for more North Dakotans.
On a warm August night, instead of sitting at home, watching TV, or going out, a bunch of guys got together and worked on what could have been a project for their own garages or decks. But if you look a bit closer, you’ll notice this isn’t a hobby group, there’s a bit more spirit.
“I joined a long time ago with my dad in Chicago, so probably 35 years.” That’s how long Ed Konieczka has been a member of the Knights of Columbus. He’s currently a member of Knights of Columbus Council 9589. Konieczka and other knights are building beds for children at the Catholic Indian Mission and Saint Bernard’s Mission School in Sioux County.
“Right now [we are building] 42 [beds] and [there are] 50 mattresses. They’ll get a full bed, a full set of linens, a blanket, a pillow everything they’d need,” Konieczka said. He believes projects like these show what the Knights are and what they aren’t. “I think people think of them as the pancake breakfast guys. It’s [about] trying to explain how much deeper it is and seeing the prayer side, so seeing the unseen side, how it forms and shapes you as well,” Konieczka said.
“I like the fraternity,” Knights of Columbus Council 6540 Deputy Grand Knight Ryan Dunnigan said. Six-year member Dunnigan said it wasn’t until he moved back to Bismarck that he got a better understanding of what the Knights do. “I learned that the Knights has [sic] a lot to offer and they do a lot of good for the parish. We do all sorts of things, helping out with Ministry on the Margins, projects like these, helping out with the Right to Life movement, vocations,” Dunnigan said.
Those types of projects and this one, in particular, Dunnigan said, make a night with the Knights like this fulfilling. “The fact that there are kids that are sleeping on the floor breaks my heart. Knowing that we’re doing something that’s going to impact their lives and they no longer have to sleep on the floor, they have a nice, comfortable bed to jump into at the end of the night, that means the world,” Dunnigan said.
Although these beds will definitely make a difference, Grand Knight John Berger, with whom we spoke to recently, says there are more beds needed. More information on how to donate or this project’s sponsors can be found here.