From Classroom to Community: WFU Summer Management Students Build Beds for Triad Families

Wake Forest Summer Management Program students pose together during the A Bed and A Book service project.

On Friday, the Wake Forest’s Business School’s summer management program teamed up with local non-profit A Bed and A Book to build ten beds for children in need. This Pro-Humanitate service project served as a hands-on conclusion to the curriculum, blending business strategy, teamwork and project management with community leadership.

At no cost to the families, the beds made by the students will be delivered along with a mattress, bedding and books to families in Winston Salem, Greensboro and High Point.

“This service project reflects what we hope our students take away from the Summer Management Program—that business is ultimately about creating value for others,” said Norma Montague, Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs & Innovation at the School of Business. “Throughout the program, students have built foundational business knowledge while developing leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.”

Two Wake Forest Summer Management Program students assemble a wooden bed frame during the A Bed and A Book service project.

Montague continued, “Building beds for children in our community gave them the opportunity to put those lessons into practice in a special way while living Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate mission. We want our students to leave not only with a stronger understanding of business, but also with an appreciation for the impact they can have when they use their knowledge and talents to serve others.”

“Bedlessness” affects 2-3% of our population, shares Anneliese Wall, Founder and Executive Director of A Bed and a Book. When we provide children with a safe, soft place to dream, we aren’t just giving them a bed—we are boosting their self-confidence, fostering pride, and setting them up to thrive in the classroom.

A Bed and a Book, founded in 2020, just reached a major milestone, delivering their 1,000 bed.

This event was organized with the help of the Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character who maintains a partnership with A Bed and A Book in order to provide ongoing servant leadership opportunities at the business school.