Meet the Beneficiary of the Rochester Wine and Chocolate Festival

On March 9^th, The Summit-sponsored Rochester Wine and Chocolate Festival took over the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

We welcomed nearly 1,600 people to this event featuring dozens of wineries, distilleries, chocolatiers, and other vendors for an afternoon and evening of tastings and fun.

As with nearly every event that The Summit sponsors, there was a charitable component and this year’s Rochester Wine and Chocolate Festival helped raise funds for the Rochester Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace makes beds for kids who don’t have a comfortable place to lay their heads. There are over 270 chapters throughout the US, Canada, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. They believe that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs. All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads. Across our region and across the country, too many boys and girls go without a bed – or even a pillow – to sleep on. These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and floors. This can affect their happiness and health. Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling, and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need. The organization has grown over time, and they are working on opening more chapters in different states to serve more people. Their motto is “No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town!,” and to date, the Rochester Chapter has made nearly 900 beds for local kids.

We were honored that the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Luke Mickleson, who is based in Idaho, just happened to be in the area on the date of Rochester Wine & Chocolate and stopped by to surprise us and the volunteers from the Rochester Chapter. It was great to meet him and talk to him about his incredible organization.

Thanks to the support of those who attended this event, and to those who supported us with donations for our raffle, we are able to make a donation to the Rochester Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace for $3,000.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace has active chapters in Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse. The Syracuse chapter was our beneficiary for the 2023 Taste of Syracuse, of which we are also the title sponsor. For more information on Sleep in Heavenly Peace in your area, visit: Home – Sleep in Heavenly Peace (shpbeds.org)