KindCraft's service project for August was to host a diaper drive. In July, we provided families with a Diaper Drive Toolkit because we wanted to encourage families to host their own drive. The following article is written by Ashli Montgomery, mother of 10 year old Ellery who has been participating in KindCraft events for the last few years. We couldn't be prouder of Ellery and her selfless heart for serving others. Please take a minute to read her story and consider how your family might do a similar drive. We are thrilled to hear that Ellery was not only able to collect a LOT of diapers, but she also persevered through a BIG project, used math skills, public speaking skills, and demonstrated some GREAT leadership skills. Thank you Ellery for supporting this cause.
Can you imagine reusing a dirty diaper? No, this isn’t a Pinterest project that repurposes dirty diapers into some sort of decorative flower pot. This is about putting a dirty diaper back on your infant multiple times a day because you can only afford to use one or two diapers per day. How about limiting the amount of liquids or food you feed your baby so the diaper stays dry or clean longer? Sounds as if this is what parents in developing countries face, right? Yet this is the reality for a good number of parents and families here in the Kansas City metro.
Ellery Montgomery, a 10-year-old who lives in Gardner, decided she wanted to help. Partnering with KindCraft and the Bishop Sullivan Center, Ellery hosted her first diaper drive earlier this month “because people need diapers”, she explained. The first thing she decided on was what her goal was going to be. “I decided to set my goal at 3,000 diapers but thought ‘that’s a lot of diapers’. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it”.
Ellery, who is homeschooled, then put a plan together and started implementing it while learning important lessons along the way. With the help of her parents, she printed off flyers and went through her neighborhood putting them on all her neighbors’ doors. Her flyer not only stated that diapers could be dropped off at her house, but it also included her mom’s PayPal and Venmo information. This was useful in case anyone wanted to make a monetary donation which would then be used to purchase diapers.
She worked on her public speaking skills as she would write, memorize, and record speeches that solicited donations and would have her mom post them on social media.
Generous monetary donations, some up to $100, and diaper deliveries started coming in. Diapers were being delivered from as far away as North Carolina. Friends from Wichita personally drove up to deliver diapers because they believe it’s important for kids to see the physical fruits of their labor. Neighbors began ringing the doorbell to drop off packages of diapers or would leave them on the porch.
Ellery would utilize her math skills and help her parents calculate how many diapers they could buy based on the money they had collected and how many more she needed to meet her goal. Slowly but surely the goal of 3,000 diapers moved through the stages of daunting, to a possibility, to ACHIEVED!
Ellery's diaper drive was more than successful – she finished her diaper drive with exactly 3,231 diapers!! That's more than a year's worth of diapers!
“Hosting a diaper drive isn’t as easy as I thought it’d be. Some people don’t like to give so it takes something really good to change their minds”, Ellery stated as she summarized her drive. While it may have taken some effort to solicit donations, it was rewarding for Ellery and her parents. Ellery is looking forward to delivering the diapers and knowing they’ll help those who need it. Other than helping others, Ellery’s favorite part of her diaper drive? “When we received diapers!”
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