With Loving Hearts and Some Power Tools, Aflac Employees Build 40 Beds for Local Children Through Partnership With Sleep in Heavenly Peace

COLUMBUS, GA / ACCESS Newswire / October 14, 2026 / Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

More than 40 Aflac employees recently rolled up their sleeves to help ensure local children have a safe and comfortable place to sleep, building 40 beds in partnership with nonprofit organization Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP). The volunteer event, held at Aflac's Paul S. Amos Campus, brought employees together to saw, drill, sand and stain bed frames that will be delivered to children in need throughout the region. Aflac provided paid time off for participating volunteers.

The effort reflects Aflac's longstanding commitment to supporting children and families in the communities it serves. In addition to providing the eager volunteers, the company donated $20,000 for the building materials and an additional $1,500, in honor of its volunteers to help purchase bedding.

"We're blessed to be a part of the Columbus community," said Matthew Owenby, Aflac's chief human resources and administrative officer. "We're a mainstay employer here, so we're just trying to give back to the local community."

Founded on the belief that no child should sleep on the floor, Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds and delivers beds to children who lack a bed of their own. SHP volunteers will deliver the beds constructed by Aflac volunteers to recipients' homes and assemble them there, complete with mattresses and new bedding.

For volunteer Yvonne Corbin, the project was deeply personal. A longtime SHP supporter, Corbin said her own childhood experiences motivate her to help children facing similar challenges.

"Anything that I can do to help the life of a child who may be in a similar situation that I grew up in, not necessarily having everything that I needed, anything that I can do to help them, I'm willing to do it," Corbin said.

The event marks Aflac's second major partnership with SHP in Columbus in 2026, and comes amid significant community need. Previous volunteer efforts highlighted that nearly 2,000 children in the Columbus area are waiting for beds through the organization.

By day's end, the stacks of newly built beds represented more than lumber and hardware. For the children who will receive them, volunteers said, a bed can provide dignity, better sleep and a stronger foundation for success at home and in school.

Aflac includes American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and/or American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.

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