More Happy Bottoms in the Kansas City Metro Area
Posted by jennW in by Jennifer Warren, Community, Featured, GSD Online
A simple mission statement says it all: “To coordinate diaper drives that will support local agencies serving low income families.” Happy Bottoms was started in November of 2009 to fill a need in the Kansas City area. Jill Gaikowski, who runs Happy Bottoms, started by running a simple diaper drive last fall for GiveWhatYouGot.org. In the process of organizing the drive and researching the need she was surprised to learn that “there are no subsidies that cover the expense of diapers for low income families.”
Gaikowski’s first big project, 7000 diapers in 7 days, was a stunning success – collecting 14,713 diapers. Making cold calls for the first time was “pure torture” for Gaikowski, until she put her nervousness about making calls in perspective with the situation the families she is trying to help are in “if someone out there is trying to decide whether to pay the heating bill or buy diapers for their newborn, I can pick up the phone and make a few calls.” Gaikowski only hopes that the diaper drive she is organizing for April can have the same success.
In honor of both National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Month of the Young Child, Gaikowski is organizing an ambitious diaper drive in an effort to collect 50,000 diapers in the month of April. Families who cannot afford diapers often leave their babies in soiled diapers for days at a time. This increases the risk of numerous health issues for the infant as well as making the baby unhappy. “Unhappy babies are crying babies. Crying babies are more likely to be abused by an already stressed out caregiver.”
Happy Bottoms does not give diapers directly to needy families. The organization donates all diapers to partner organizations, including Child Abuse Prevention Association; Light House, Inc.; Healthy Families of Kansas City; Hope House; Mother and Child Health Coalition; Salvation Army Children’s Shelter; and Mattie Rhodes Center. Happy Bottoms is a program of Kansas City Area, GiveWhatYouGot.org, which is a program of Cornerstones of Care.
Gaikowski is still seeking volunteers for the April Diaper Drive to find out more please visit her website at HappyBottoms.org or send an email to jill@happybottoms.org. People who wish to make donations of diapers, ointments or wipes can do so anytime by contacting Gaikowski at jill@happybottoms.org or by leaving the items at the local drop-off locations – Children’s Orchard and Kiddo’s Collection in Lee’s Summit.
