It’s a dream come true.
On June 24, 100 under-served kids from Ashley HomeStore's Hope to Dream charity and The Salvation Army got to have the “ultimate” sleepover experience when they spent the night on the same football field that the Dallas Cowboys play on at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The kiddos got to meet players and cheerleaders, chow down on pizza and leave with some serious swag — including the beds they spent the night on, the Houston Chronicle reported.
After the sleepover, Ashley Furniture delivered the beds to each child's home.
The kids were welcomed to the stadium with a red-carpet arrival and were led to the Cowboys’ locker room where star cornerback, Brandon Carr, made the announcement.
"We have a fun-filled event lined up for you guys, but it's definitely more important for you to have your own bed," Carr told the kids in the locker room, according to the Cowboys’ site. "There's so much stuff going on in the world that we can't control, but we can control waking up in the morning, making our bed and coming back and crashing in our bed at night. It's as simple as that. You need sleep. Sleep is important."
Carr then led the kids onto the field. Each bed had a child’s name on it and came with a teddy bear, football, Dallas Cowboy sheets and bedspread and photos of the team.
Once each kid had found their new bed, they were served Papa John’s pizza, played in bounce houses, engaged in a hula contest, threw footballs around with players, did the Cupid Shuffle with Carr and watched "Finding Nemo" on the huge HD video board that hangs above the field.
This is the second year the Cowboys and Ashley HomeStore have hosted the event. Hope to Dream was established by Ashley HomeStore in 2010 with the goal of providing children in need with a mattress. For every mattress sold at an Ashley HomeStore, the store donates $5 to provide mattress sets.
If a special Hope to Dream mattress is sold, $250 will be donated. According to Michael Levitz, president of Ashley Furniture HomeStore, over 40,000 beds have been given to children across the nation and around the world — including the kids at the ultimate sleepover event.
"One of the girls said this was the best day of her life,” Scott Erdmann, manager of corporate partnerships for the Dallas Cowboys, said on the team’s site. “The first time she's ever had a teddy bear and had her own bed."
If you know a kid in need who could use their own mattress, you can let Hope to Dream know, here.
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