poverty in Cincinnati
Sweet Cheeks Is Megan’s Calling
Pregnant with her second child, feeling blessed with the path her life had taken her to that point, Megan Fischer was sitting at her work cubicle when she took a quick break to check her Facebook feed. It was that split moment that changed her passion and career forever.
A random article had caught her attention. It spoke of one of the least talked about obstacles in the path out of poverty for families…the desperate need for diapers. Such a staple for young parents, Megan – like so many of us – just assumed diapers were covered by government assistance…but they aren’t. And, without diapers, kids can’t go to day care which means mom and dad can’t go to work. Kids are not ready for preschool. They are not developing to their fullest potential.
“I was cloth diapering my son and pregnant with my daughter at the time,” Megan remembered. “I couldn’t imagine what those parents must be experiencing, and I know the poverty rate in Cincinnati is astronomical. What do you do? How do you feel worth as a parent if you can’t provide that basic need for your child? I just sat there and cried.”
She researched diaper banks in our region, only to find none. And then, the soon-to-be mother of two tried to push the topic out of her mind. She was busy enough with her family, a full-time job, part-time jobs, and volunteer work. She was successful at that for about a year.
“Finally, I realized there was not already a diaper bank in Greater Cincinnati because it was supposed to be me,” she said.
Megan had no idea how to go about starting a nonprofit so she went to the Secretary of State website and read about it. She enlisted her friend, Mike, to help with her logo, social media and tagline (among other things). Several other friends stepped up too. And soon the group was launched.
Sweet Cheeks officially incorporated in October, 2015. By April, 2016, their first diapers were out the door. And, in 2017, Megan left her full-time job to be a full-time director of the new nonprofit. These days Sweet Cheeks is distributing some 100,000 diapers through 34 partner agencies.
“Without us, people would keep a diaper for several days, cut out the middle, stuff a diaper with paper towels, or even let their baby go without. And we are only meeting about 13% of the need in Greater Cincinnati. We have a wait list of 36 agencies who need our diapers. We need to continue to grow…and we are,” Megan said.
When I asked Megan about her greatest satisfaction from this work, she told me, “We are helping people and meeting a need that wasn’t met before. And we are able to use diapers as an incentive for other social programs. Just having diapers may not change a life but those diapers are tied to services at other nonprofits that can teach people to be great parents, give them confidence, get them out of poverty. Sometimes our diapers may be the only reason those parents keep coming back to that social service agency. I didn’t have a nonprofit background before this so it is very challenging but I love the strategies behind growing Sweet Cheeks.”
If you’d like to help, Sweet Cheeks is in need of more than 200 hours of volunteer time weekly to get things out the door. They also are always in need of diapers and monetary donations. Because of their buying power, they can purchase two to three times the amount you and I can for the money, so monetary donations are more important. Please reach out to them if you’d like to get involved.
Kenzie’s Closet Is A Dream Maker
It is a dream of most girls, to step out in a gorgeous evening gown, a flower corsage on her wrist and a young man on her side as she enters the darkened space. Her peers crowd the floor, watching her enter in awe. Her smile illuminates the room.
But, if not for a local nonprofit organization, Kenzie’s Closet, that dream would not come true for hundreds of teens every year. Kathy Smith knows. She has seen them transform from forlorn, hopeless girls into bundles of joy and laughter when they see themselves in a mirror, just as their dream had pictured them.
At no cost to them, Kenzie’s Closet provides prom attire to juniors and seniors at accredited Tri-State high schools who otherwise would not be able to afford dressing up for their important occasion. Even more than that, the organization provides a shopping experience for each young lady to shop in a boutique with a volunteer personal shopper there to help select the perfect dress.
Kathy was executive director of Kenzie’s Closet for four years, retiring just before our ReelAbilities Film Festival, for which she served as our volunteer chair.
Lisa: Why is this a cause for which you are so passionate?
Kathy: When I was interviewed for my position, I remember being asked a very similar question. They wanted to know why I wanted the job. My answer was that, if Kenzie’s Closet had existed in 1968, I would have been a Kenzie’s Girl. The only reason I was able to go to my prom was because a neighbor bough me my dress. All of Kenzie’s Girls are at or below the poverty level. They don’t have the resources available to buy or rent fancy dresses. Prom should be the highlight of their life. It was important to me to make sure that each girl have the opportunity to get the dress of their dreams. They get brand new shoes, a purse, a wrap, two pieces of jewelry and free alterations; and they keep everything, although we have had many donate back their dresses so that another girl can have the same experience. We are planting the seeds of philanthropy early.
Journey is the 4,000th Kenzie’s girl who recently experienced her dream come true (pictured with Board member Amanda Bentley Fessler).
Lisa: Can you share any moments that really touched you?
Kathy: There are so many of them. I felt like we were in many ways like being Fairy Godmothers. Coming to Kenzie’s Closet for these teenagers is their time to shine. Often, they arrive expecting to find a sort of thrift shop but they quickly realize it is very different. They may be scared when they walk through the door and by the time they are finished, they are hugging their personal shopper.
I remember one young woman who came in with a group. She was very tall and large. She kept giving me this look out of the corner of her eyes. She told me with a hardness in her voice that she didn’t think we would have anything for her. I looked at her and said, “Guess what? You are totally wrong.”
After going through her shopping, I went up to her and asked what happened that day. She asked if I wanted the truth. Tears began streaming down her face. She told me that her entire life she had been given torn or tattered clothing and been expected to give thanks. I asked her again what had happened. This time she put her chin out and told me, “Not only did you have a dress to fit me, I got to pick my own prom dress. And there is nothing smack about it.”
Lisa: What are some of your take-aways from your time leading Kenzie’s Closet?
Kathy: I knew all along that we were making dreams come true for over 400 young ladies each year. But I also had my dream come true working there. Our founder was my boss and she was so supportive and believed in me – not everyone has that. I worked with two incredible women that made going to work a pleasure – again not everyone has that. We had about 120 volunteers each year; they were always so joyful and happy to be there — again this helped me have an incredible career. My time at Kenzie’s Closet was a dream come true for me!
