JANUARY NEWS

Little  things matter  A LOT!

At HappyBottoms we can sum up January by saying we learned a lot of little things about the kids we serve and we are thinking you might like to know these little things too. First, we provided diapers for over 1500 unique children in 2011. We touched their lives and, literally covered their bottoms, with your help.

They are male and female and almost every ethnicity – African American (36%), Caucasian (37%), Hispanic/Latino (18%),  American Indian/Alaskan Native (1%),  Asian/Pacific Islander(2%) and 6% other.

They live right here – in Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Jackson, Lafayette, Cass, Clay and Platte Counties in Missouri.

Sixty-seven percent live below the Federal Poverty Level and 25% live at income levels up to 200% of the federal poverty level.

The bottom line (pun intended) is they need your help to just have diapers – a basic need we believe every little bottom has a right to. Diapers matter A LOT!

How does HappyBottoms know this stuff?

You may be wondering – how does HappyBottoms know this stuff? Ok – we will let you in on our secret – as it is really not a secret but it is confidential… and secure. We have been gathering data on the children we provide diapers to in a blinded fashion since we began providing diapers in April of 2011. This data helps us share with you and any other individuals, foundations, corporations, etc. who we help and provides the reason for why they should help us at HappyBottoms. Data helps identify the problem of diaper need and is the first step in being able to solve it.

Problems and Consequences

Solving the problem of diaper need and the unintended consequences of not having diapers – what are we doing about it? Here are the top five things HappyBottoms did in January to help solve the problem –

1. We added another agency to our list of current partner agencies who will receive diapers from HappyBottoms. Welcome to the Don Bosco Center. (For a list of all current partners click here.) BTW – that means we will be providing diapers to more children!
2. In collaboration with CAPA – Child Abuse Prevention Association and MCHC – Mother and Child Health Coalition – we developed and educational brochure that includes tips on Healthy Diapering and Stress reduction techniques for parents and caregivers to be distributed with our diapers. Click here to see the brochures and download copies.
3. We held our first meeting of the Ambassadors for HappyBottoms under the leadership of Joe Calhoun to kick off the volunteer activities that will help grow and support this organization. It was a great meeting with some amazing ideas which will help us continue to grow to meet the needs of the community. Thanks to all who came! If you would like to join this awesome team – contact Joe@happybottoms.org – we always need more help.
4. Our Board of Directors met and approved the 2012 budget which will fund providing diapers to an average of 800 children a month this year. This is really important as it demonstrates the commitment of these leaders to grow HappyBottoms to serve more kids. (BTW – we are still recruiting for a few more board positions – so if you have the time and talent to devote – please send us your resume.)
5. Our grant writing team – Pam and Liz (well mostly Pam) spent countless hours writing two grants to support the ongoing operations of HappyBottoms and fund our first paid employee – a part-time Program Manager. We will keep you posted on this one as it will signal the next step on the road to HappyBottoms continued evolution to become a sustainable part of our community support network for families in need.

So what’s on tap for the rest of the year?

2012 will be another crazy year for HappyBottoms. You read how we plan to take on providing diapers for more children – but quite honestly I will tell you, we are not setting our sights high enough to meet Kansas City’s needs. There are at least 4000 children out there who need diapers in our community.

 We are talking babies. They cannot ask for diapers and their parents are struggling to get diapers. IF – and I really am saying  IF  because it is uncertain - we raise the money to support our plan for 2012, we will only be providing diapers to 20% of the kids who need them.  That is not enough.

So if it bothers you as much as it bothers us that there are children in our community who do not have clean dry diapers this year – make a commitment to help us blow this plan away and get diapers to more than 20% of these kids by providing your financial support – or your time and talent – or volunteering your company to do a diaper drive for us. These kids really do need every diaper we can give them.

It is the little things – diapers – that matter A LOT!

Liz

Don’t forget to check out our upcoming events by clicking here.