Sleep In Heavenly Peace Chapter Presidents never set out to become heroes. They simply see a need, roll up their sleeves, and get to work. Susie Asadorian exemplifies this truth.
When Susie took on the Chapter President role for Sleep in Heavenly Peace – OH, Cuyahoga W, she joined a mission with a beautifully simple goal: NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN! What she didn’t know then was how her giving spirit would inspire so many in her community to do the same – and transform the lives of more than 1,200 children.
Today, Sleep in Heavenly Peace proudly honors Susie with the 2025 Guardian of the Mission Award — the organization’s highest recognition, named for founding board member Heather Allen, whose compassion and vision shaped what SHP is today.
From Classroom to Chapter President
Susie spent her career as a fourth-grade teacher before stepping away to raise her three sons. By 2020, with her boys grown, she was ready to give back — she just needed the right opportunity. When her mother heard about Sleep in Heavenly Peace and passed along the news, Susie paid attention.
“She excitedly told me about it when I was looking for some way to get involved with volunteering,” Susie recalls with a smile. A single volunteer meeting changed everything. She met SHP founder Luke Mickelson, learned about the urgent need to grow a chapter in her area, and felt something click.
“I really felt this opportunity was put in front of me for a reason,” she says. “Other than leading some volunteer groups at my kids’ schools and organizing neighborhood block parties, I didn’t have much formal leadership experience. This was new — and I’ll admit a little scary.”
That honest admission – a little scary – is part of what makes Susie’s story so relatable, and her impact so remarkable. She didn’t arrive with a nonprofit résumé. She arrived with heart.
Building More Than Beds
Every SHP volunteer can pinpoint the moment the mission stopped being a tagline and became deeply personal. For Susie, it was one of her earliest deliveries.
A four-year-old girl with cerebral palsy had been sleeping on a toddler mattress on the floor of her grandmother’s home. Her grandmother had applied to SHP hoping her granddaughter could have a safe, comfortable place to sleep. Susie and her husband Kevan loaded up the truck and headed over.
“She came into the room clapping and calling it her ‘princess bed.’ She crawled in and told us she felt like a princess. Wow. A princess, just from sitting up against a fluffy pillow and being tucked under a pretty little pink comforter. It’s not just a bed — it’s something that can transport a child out of a sad situation and into a dignified, comfortable, and safe one. We can change their world in less than 30 minutes.”
— Susie Asadorian
“My daughter has cerebral palsy so she’s hurting as it is, let alone sleeping on a ripped old crib mattress. Thank you SO much for bringing my daughter a bed…we are so grateful and she is sleeping comfortably now.”
— Tracy, mother of “princess bed” recipient
That little girl became a compass point for every decision Susie made as chapter president. Not every child would call their bed a “princess bed,” but every child deserves to feel that way.
1,200 Children — and Counting
Over five years, the Cuyahoga West chapter has built and delivered beds to 1,200+ children. That number is staggering — and yet, Susie will tell you she never chased it.
“Thanks to Luke and the Chapter Support Center, we never felt pressured about numbers,” she says. “He told us at training that whether we helped 10 kids a year or 100, we would be making a difference. So numbers weren’t a factor — we just kept fulfilling the requests.”
Behind every request was a family in need. And behind each family, Susie says, was a neighborhood she now sees differently. “I think of so many of them, especially as we drive past streets and neighborhoods we served.”
The hardest part of the job, she shares, wasn’t the builds or the logistics. It was the families she couldn’t reach.
— Susie Asadorian
Building a Team That Feels Like Family
One of Susie’s most lasting contributions isn’t measured in beds — it’s measured in people. The Cuyahoga West chapter started with a handful of friends from the community and grew into a large, deeply committed volunteer family.
Part of what makes those relationships stick is intentionality. After every build and delivery, the chapter gathers for lunch to share stories and photos from the day — a small ritual that keeps volunteers connected to both each other and to the mission.
To keep engagement strong, Susie built a simple but effective system: monthly emails with signup links, quarterly team socials, and “Perfect 10” t-shirts for volunteers who return ten or more times. The message was always the same: you are seen, your service matters, let’s keep this mission going.
The Partnership Behind the President
Any honest account of Susie’s tenure has to include Kevan. The team “laughs because I refer to him as ‘Assistant to the President,’” Susie says, smiling. “He never wanted a title, but I gave him one.”
In practice, Kevan was much more than an assistant. He managed build operations, handled the heavy lifting (literally), and served as the chapter’s social glue — engaging volunteers, lightening the mood, keeping energy high during long days. “He’s a natural social butterfly,” Susie says, “so he lightens the mood and engages the volunteers when I’m caught up in tending to the details.”
His perspective on those five years is characteristically understated, and characteristically Kevan:
— Kevan Asadorian
A Legacy That Outlasts a Title
Susie recently stepped down as chapter president, handing the reins to Scott Glazer and Jenn Martin — two leaders she helped develop and prepare. Her advice to them was the same she’d give any chapter leader:
“Trust yourselves, lean on your teammates, and always remember why we do what we do — keep going on deliveries.”
And to anyone considering chapter leadership for the first time, her message is warm and direct:
— Susie Asadorian
What the Award Means
The Guardian of the Mission Award carries special weight for Susie — not because of the recognition itself, but because of what it represents: Heather Allen’s legacy, and a community of leaders who carry it forward.
— Susie Asadorian
On the mission itself — NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN — Susie doesn’t mince words:
— Susie Asadorian
In Their Own Words: A Q&A with Susie and Kevan Asadorian
We asked Susie and Kevan to share a little more about their journey with SHP — from the first build to the final delivery, and everything in between. Here are some of our favorite moments from the conversation.
Susie Asadorian
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of leading your chapter?
A: We rarely miss a delivery day, because they remind us of why all the other work goes in. So definitely watching the kids receive their beds, and seeing each new volunteer as they get to be a part of that magic.
Q: What was the most challenging part of leading the chapter?
A: The most challenging part for me was not being able to help all of the families that reached out to us because they lived outside of our delivery area. I wanted to be able to direct them to another chapter or services for help, but we just don’t have others close by. It’s heartbreaking to have to turn people away — because all kids deserve a bed.
Q: The chapter delivered beds to 1,200 children — when you started, did you imagine reaching that number?
A: We sure didn’t! Thanks to Luke, we never felt pressured about numbers. He told us at training that whether we helped 10 kids a year or 100, we would be making a difference. So numbers weren’t a factor — we just kept fulfilling the requests.
Q: What would you say to someone considering chapter leadership?
A: It will bless you in more ways than you can imagine! And it’s really not scary or overwhelming, especially when you find your team members. There is SO much support through CSC and your regional support lead. SHP will be with you all the way!
Kevan Asadorian
Q: What was your favorite part of being involved?
A: Those kids’ faces. From when we went on our first delivery at training to any delivery we do today — to see those faces light up when they see their new bed. Priceless.
Q: What did you witness in Susie as a leader that others might not have seen?
A: She built such a large and strong team because everyone saw her leadership and wanted her and the chapter to be successful. That’s a hard thing to teach — people just followed her.
Q: What made you want to support Susie’s leadership so actively?
A: We always support each other in everything we do, so when she said she wanted to do this, I was behind her 100%. After going to training, I could see what a great organization SHP is and all the support they provide. I knew this was something she would love and be very successful at.
Q: What did people not see that you helped with?
A: There was always a great deal of preparation, whether it was for a build or a delivery. When volunteers showed up, we wanted everything to be ready and look easy for them to help. A lot went into making that happen behind the scenes.
Q: What are you most proud of from these five years?
A: Getting kids off the floor. For whatever reason, it was not their fault they did not have a bed. So no matter what decisions were made — or not made — that put them in their situation, we were just there to help. We could not be more proud of being able to just help.
Join the Mission
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is fueled by volunteers like Susie and Kevan — everyday people who show up, build beds, and change lives. If Susie’s story has moved you, get involved today!
Find your nearest SHP chapter or start a chapter in your town, sign up to volunteer, or make a donation. In northeast Ohio, you can support the Cuyahoga West chapter directly HERE.