diff --git a/examples/sleep.c b/examples/sleep.c
index 71dadefc94bd123ddfec51c1075b0e105b028043..2e7a7785b1f31db193c64ab52ed96e9ec689fb13 100644
--- a/examples/sleep.c
+++ b/examples/sleep.c
@@ -100,10 +100,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
     /* actually start margo */
-    /* use a single pool for progress and sleeper threads */
-    /* NOTE: no rpc handler threads are needed */
+    /* use a single pool for progress, sleeper, and handler threads */
     /***************************************/
-    mid = margo_init(pool, ABT_POOL_NULL, hg_context, hg_class);
+    mid = margo_init(pool, pool, hg_context, hg_class);
     for(i=0; i<4; i++)
     {
         t_ids[i] = i;
diff --git a/src/margo-timer.c b/src/margo-timer.c
index c07b73b6b6ba15bd9bdf13b22d0843b59e946a59..4ba37d1128a358b220cd7d7d4e03f14b535f9b90 100644
--- a/src/margo-timer.c
+++ b/src/margo-timer.c
@@ -139,8 +139,10 @@ void margo_timer_destroy(
 void margo_check_timers(
     margo_instance_id mid)
 {
+    int ret;
     margo_timer_t *cur;
     struct margo_timer_instance *timer_inst;
+    ABT_pool *handler_pool;
     double now = ABT_get_wtime();
 
     timer_inst = margo_get_timer_instance(mid);
@@ -157,8 +159,11 @@ void margo_check_timers(
         DL_DELETE(timer_inst->queue_head, cur);
         cur->prev = cur->next = NULL;
 
-        /* execute callback */
-        cur->cb_fn(cur->cb_dat);
+        /* schedule callback on the handler pool */
+        handler_pool = margo_get_handler_pool(mid);
+        ret = ABT_thread_create(*handler_pool, cur->cb_fn, cur->cb_dat,
+            ABT_THREAD_ATTR_NULL, NULL);
+        assert(ret == ABT_SUCCESS);
     }
     ABT_mutex_unlock(timer_inst->mutex);