Here is a volunteering testimonial from Ana Lim, a Student Engagement Ambassador here at JCCC. Ana is working towards earning the Civic Leadership Distinction and will be presenting about her experiences at the National Community College Conference on Service Learning & Community Engagement in Denver, CO in the Spring.
Last Wednesday, I headed to Happy Bottoms distribution center right after work, located at 14820 W. 107th, Lenexa. Happy Bottoms is a non-profit organization that works to provide diapers to low income families in the Kansas City Metropolitan area, and I volunteered to package diapers that evening with State Line Service League ladies.
As soon as all of us arrived, the Community Outreach and Volunteer Manager invited us to walk with her to the backside of the building where all the diapers were stored. Then, she told us what I did not expect to hear about diapers. Over the years, Happy Bottoms has witnessed that lack of diapers was one of the factors that culminated in neglect and abuse of babies, many of whom wear dirty diapers over a prolonged period of time, which causes health problems. This information struck my heart to the core. I didn’t think much about the importance of clean diapers up to this point, and I realized that sometimes making a difference in society begins with recognizing what most people (including myself) would consider to be a not-so-grand problem in the community, such as diapers.
I was impressed to see the different sizes of diapers Happy Bottoms provides to families, and packaging them with the amazing State Line Service League ladies was so much fun!
Happy Bottoms is always looking for volunteers throughout the year, and I highly recommend Happy Bottoms for any volunteers in the Civic Leadership program. Every baby and child deserves to wear clean diapers.
-Ana Hyo Young Lim
Student Engagement Ambassador
President’s Office