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Sleep Experts Collecting Blankets with Help from Athletes

The Southlake Journal - November 4, 2009 - Comforters are called comforters for a reason - they are comforting. We don't realize just how comforting until we don't have them any more.

Sleep Experts, the Carrollton-based mattress store is launching its 6th annual Share the Warmth Blanket Drive, which will run through Thanksgiving at all 34 Dallas-Fort Worth locations including Grapevine, Southlake and Keller.

Throughout the drive, the stores will be collecting donations of new or gently-used blankets, as well as sheets, towels and comforters and distributing them to North Texas domestic violence shelters, including SafeHaven of Tarrant County, The Family Place in Dallas, New Beginning Center in Garland and Denton County Friends of the Family. Involved in the drive is Michelle Witten, representing husband Dallas Cowboy Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, which provides support and mentoring services at domestic violence shelters across Texas.

"It is an honor for my wife Michelle and I to be involved with such a great program as the Share the Warmth Blanket Drive," said Jason Witten in a news release. "Through the SCORE Foundation, we have tried to fight the tragic effects of domestic violence by caring for its victims. That's what this blanket drive is all about. The SCORE Foundation believes that by making the women and children affected by abuse more comfortable, then you can help begin the healing process."

Christine Cook, wife, mom and president of Sleep Experts, said, "Many of us take for granted that we have a bed to sleep in and a blanket to keep us warm, but for families forced to flee their homes and seek shelter from violence, these basic needs would not be available without the help of domestic violence shelters and support from the North Texas community.

"As we enter the sixth year of our blanket drive, we hope that families will continue to turn out to make a donation and Share the Warmth with a family in crisis," Cook said.

The company also sponsors the Rest Assured program through which customers' old mattresses are reconditioned and donated to one of more than 20 area nonprofit organizations that nurture and care for children and families in crisis.

"As one of the largest domestic violence shelters in Texas, SafeHaven of Tarrant County serves thousands of victims each year at our two emergency shelters in Arlington and Fort Worth," said Mary Lee Hafley, executive director of SafeHaven. "We are so grateful to Sleep Experts and the D/FW community for their donations of blankets, mattresses and other items that provide these families with a feeling of comfort and safety that they may not find at home."

- By Leslie Rigoulot, Alliance Newspapers