Total Sports Simcoe County Edition, Winter 2016 Winter 2016 Issue | Page 16

Sleeping Children Around the World
The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep
By: KC Reynolds
Children around the world are getting a good night’s
sleep thanks to a Canadian, not-for-profit organization,
Sleeping Children Around the World.
It all started when Murray Dryden, recently retired, was
travelling in Pakistan and tripped over something on
the side of the road. That “something” turned out to be
a child and sparked the beginning of something great.
Upon his return to Canada, Murray talked it over with
his wife, Margaret, and together they decided that they
wanted to make a difference.
It was 1970, and Murray and Margaret believed that every child deserved the basic right of a good night’s sleep
for their health and wellbeing. Murray headed to Pune,
India to Saint Crispin’s orphanage, where children were
sleeping on the floor. Fifty kits were put together to give
to the kids which included a mattress and mosquito
netting. He took pictures of the children to show the
donors back home, more people gave them money; he
went again, with the charity starting to take shape and
grow.
Fast forward to 2009, when the 1,000,000th bed kit had
been given out. Today, about 60,000 bed kits are given
out annually and every cent donated is put towards buying supplies for the kits.
Kits vary by county depending on the climate and the
culture but all include bedding, clothing, school supplies, and a mosquito net. Sleeping Children works with
local organizations such as the India Rotary Club to
choose children in need. Children are six to twelve years

old and are 50 percent male and 50 percent female.
Money is sent directly to the country so that needed
items can be made and purchased there; benefiting the
local economy and saving on shipping costs.
Today, the charily is run by the Dryden siblings, former
NHL players, Dave and Ken, and their sister, Judy. The
charity has only one salaried employee and everyone
else involved is a volunteer. They pay for their own
expenses (about $3,000 to 4,000) to travel to a chosen
country for two to three weeks to help distribute the
bed kits. The experience is one they never forget and
many volunteers come back to go on more distribution
trips. Kits are distributed in nine different countries
including the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka,
Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Togo, and Honduras.
When asked about the biggest shock he had ever had on
a trip, Dave mentioned three things; the sheer amount
of people in s X