This past weekend Atlanta Diaper Relief attended the Atlanta Baby & Child Expo which was chock full of expecting parents, seasoned moms and dads and vendors who showcased their baby specialty displays and wares for all the world to see.

Our intern Kristen Gittings

The event was organized by my dear friend and fellow mommy blogger, Desiree Landers Miller. Desiree is a TV producer, baby planning coordinator, mom of three, well-known Atlanta Blogger and all around renaissance woman! Desiree put together a stellar show with top exhibitors that ranged from Enfamil, to Britax, which gave away dozens of really cool, trendy and extravagant strollers.

There was a Wheel of Prizes for event-goers to spin and win, a stroller track to test out the latest baby-mobiles like the swanky high-tech Origami stroller which fully contracts and folds down into a fetal position of sorts with just a push of a button.

There was MUCH to see and do. You can east tasty treats by vendors, try products and event luxuriate by getting a back massage by Spa Sydell.

It was quite an exciting event! But I was super surprised when Desiree pulled me away from the Atlanta Diaper Relief booth with urgency and said she needed me at the front of the Grand Hall inside the Fox Theater.

To my surprise, I headed toward the stage of the expo and was overjoyed to see extra large boxes of Huggies on display! Desiree took the mic, and announced on behalf of Atlantamoms.com CEO Alicia Hagan, that she was donating 1,200 diapers to Atlanta Diaper Relief!

Amazing.

I was floored and so surprised and never expected that! Desiree then went on and announced that on behalf of her organization, Stress Free Baby, that she would also be donating $500 to Atlanta Diaper Relief.

I was so overcome with emotion I started to cry. To be honest, I’m a crier. Very full of emotion and passion about the work I do.

But this time I cried because I cannot put into words what it means to me to have such wonderful supporters like Alicia and Desiree. This work and this mission would not be what it is WITHOUT the community support and wonderful friends I have like them who have time and time again stepped up to the plate and helped me to further this cause.

I’m sure there comes a point when a person truly gets tired of being asked for help, but thank God there are people with BIG hearts like these ladies who are committed to doing what they can for innocent babies and for parents who often have no one to count on.

Alicia and Desiree are both very dear to me. I met these ladies through the Georgia Social Media Moms group and the power of all those ladies and men in that group collectively is amazing. They are an amazing group of moms who work together to lift each other up, not only to propel each others businesses, but we are there for each other on many personal levels.

Alicia Hagan of AtlantaMoms.com

It’s a circle of giving that has made all the difference in my life. And I want to thank you Desiree and Alicia for what you have done. I truly appreciate your donations and am forever grateful for your friendship.

Desiree Miller

Thank you!

Make sure you pay my friends a visit:

www.atlantamoms.com

Stressfreebaby.com

BottlestoBritches.com

Alicia @AtlantaMoms on Twitter

Desiree @StreeFreeBaby on Twitter

All of these images below are courtesy of Judith Ann Photography

Thank you to KSpin Designs, a Boston-based children’s “couture” clothing line founded by Kerry Lynn Spindler for sponsoring us with products for our swag bags at the Giant Diaper Party at the Atlanta Baby Shower Expo June 9th and 10th at the Gwinnett Center!

KSpin Designs will provide coupon codes, sun safety tips, lip balm, and sun safety bracelets for event-goers who visit our booth.

Spindler herself is a melanoma survivor and uses KSpin Designs as a platform to raise awareness and educate children on sun safety and skin care tips. She is dedicated to this cause and uses this platform for good to raise awareness about skin care for kids, which is sometimes can be taken for granted when your kids are having fun in the sun without UV protection. Even as a black woman I had to learn to cover my kids with sunscreen. We are not exempt from the sun’s damaging effects.

Thank you Kerry Lynn for donating you products and we look forward to sharing this info with event-goers and spreading the word about your wonderful organization, KSpin Designs.

About KSpin Designs
KSpin Designs, a Boston-based children’s couture clothing line, takes an “anti-assembly line” approach when it comes to production. Each garment is specially designed and hand-crafted in the USA by Spindler herself or one of her talented seamstresses. All pieces are made using carefully selected designer fabrics so that each design is unique. KSpin Designs are perfect for events and special occasions.

KSpin Designs serves a dual purpose in its mission. In addition to providing specialty clothing options for boys and girl’s ages 18 months to size 10, KSpin’s collections serve as a platform to raise public awareness for skin cancer. Spindler, a melanoma survivor, and her company support skin cancer awareness and education for children by providing free sunscreen and sun-safety tips with every purchase. KSpin also sponsors major events throughout the Northeast to raise funds for melanoma research.

KSpin Designs is available at its online boutique. For additional information, please visit http://www.kspindesigns.com/.

The two charitable organizations have partnered to bring awareness to the diaper need in Metro Atlanta. Thousands of babies sit in soiled diapers because their parents can’t afford to buy more. Atlanta Diaper Relief gives diapers out for FREE to needy families. It’s a prolific problem and now the organizations have partnered to collect more diapers and bring awareness to this great cause.

Join us on Sunday June 3rd from 1 to 4 p.m at Kangazoom, a beautiful indoor play facility that features four party rooms, inflatable jumps, arcade games, a clothing boutique, a snack/gift corner, parents lounge, computer corner, and more assorted fun for children ages two to twelve.
For entry parents must bring a box of diapers to donate to Atlanta Diaper Relief so kids can play!
Meet and greet Tameka Raymond, Founder of Lost Ones Foundation and owner of Kangazoom and Kia Morgan Smith, Founder of Atlanta Diaper Relief.

This will be a fun-filled event with food, a kiddie DJ, lots of fun and a chance to learn more about how to help babies in need. Also hosted by BabyShopaholic.com and LipGlossandBinky.com.

Kangazoom is surely the spot for inflatable fun. And can we say, “Ain’t no party like a Kangazoom party cause a Kangazoom party don’t stop!” This spacious indoor children’s play center in Alpharetta, owned by celebrity mom of FIVE Tameka Raymond, features four party rooms, inflatable jumps, arcade games, a clothing boutique, a snack/gift corner, parents lounge, computer corner, and more assorted fun for children ages two to twelve.
And for parents, each morning is an ode to you as you can drop your kids off for a Mom’s Morning Out from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m! Go have a latte at Starbucks or do some much-needed shoe shopping while your kids jump around and have a ball in a safe, secure and fun environment.
Not only that, but Kangazoom Alpharetta can boast that it is one of the cleanest play facilities you’ve ever seen. Owner Tameka Raymond takes great pride in operating a clean facility. As a mom she wants a center that she can be proud of and one that she would allow her own kids to play in.

Please RSVP at http://kangazoomdiaperdrive.eventbrite.com and we look forward to seeing you at the Summer Jam!

LOCATION: Kangazoom, 5530 Windward Parkway, Suite 400, Alpharetta, Ga 30004
DATE: Sunday June 3rd, 2012

Are you interested in using Cloth Diapers for your child? Well we can definitely get you started with a cloth diaper kit with just enough cloth diapers to get you going on your new cloth diapering journey.

Email director@atlantadiaperrelief.org and let us know you’re interested and someone will follow up with you!

1. What is a diaper bank?
A: A diaper bank is an organization that collects diapers through drives and fundraising events and gives them to needy families in the community.

2. What is the process for getting diapers?
A: Families must sign up by faxing over their application to Atlanta Diaper Relief. All applicants must have a valid driver’s license or state-issued identification, your child’s birth certificate or birth announcement and proof of income (such as a paystub, unemployment or proof of TANF or food stamps).

3. How do I know if I have been approved to receive diapers?
A: Someone from the organization will call you. At that time, visit our website to see which of our partner locations is closest to you to pick up your diapers.

4. What counties are the agencies in your Diaper Distribution Network (DDN) located?
A: Agencies in our DDN are schools, churches and daycares in Douglas, Cobb, and Fulton counties. However, ADR does distribute some diapers directly.

5. Does my child have to attend the schools in the DDN in order to get free diapers?
A: No, these are just locations to start the sign-up process. If you are not near one of those locations you can always mail or fax your application materials to our headquarters.

6. Do you also provide diapers for senior citizens?
A: No, we donot.

7. My child is three years old. Can he or she still receive diapers from Atlanta Diaper Relief?
A: No, Atlanta Diaper Relief provides 30 diapers per month to children until they are 2 1/2 years old.

8. What is the impact of a lack of diapers for a child?
A: Children are very uncomfortable if left in diapers for too long. They often cry and suffer from diaper rash.

9. How often should I change my child’s diaper?
A: Babies should be changed five to eight times per day.

10. How can I help the Atlanta Diaper Relief?
A: ADR would love your help. Become a sponsor by holding a diaper drive or donating diapers or money. Please email director@atlantadiaperrelief.org if you would like to volunteer.

11. Do you accept partial packs of diapers?
A: Yes, ADR does accept partial packs of diapers or training pants.

Atlanta is the poorest city in the United States for children. More children in Atlanta live in poverty than in any other city. Nearly 40,000 families in the Atlanta area earn less than $15,000 in household income, and Close to 50 percent of all the children in Atlanta—48 percent– live in families with annual incomes of less than $15,000 a year.

• According to Huggies Every Little Bottom study, 52 percent of the families surveyed have had difficulty meeting essential household expenses within the last 12 months.
● The costs of caring for a baby are high. On average, it can take anywhere from $8,000 – $11,000 to care for a baby in the first year, with more than $1,000 being spent on diapers.
● Diapers alone can cost as much as $50 to $80 per month. About 25 percent of mothers have had to cut back on other infant need items in order to supply enough diapers, and another 12 % of mothers have had to skip utility payments to provide diapers.
● One in three American moms struggle to provide their babies with basic essential-diapers. This is called diaper need, and there’s very little help or public resources that address this issue.
Government aid programs (WIC, Food Stamps, Medicare) do not allow for low-income families to purchase diapers. The lack of government funding can be a huge struggle for the many metropolitan Atlanta families who can’t afford the expense of diapers, forcing them to resort to extreme measures. Even with government assistance for child care, without an appropriate amount of diapers children cannot be taken to daycare.

Explanations
In Georgia, several government agencies help families in need in different areas.
● Temporary Assistance for poor children and their caretakers, also known as TANF or welfare, is the monthly cash assistance program for poor families with children under age 18. This only covers the basic needs for children: food, clothing, and other basic needs such as formula, wipes, and clothes. Especially in single parent households, this cash is not enough to supplement income to pay for rent, bills, and other monthly expenses.
● Babies Can’t Wait (BCW) is Georgia’s statewide interagency service delivery system for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families. However, this is only specifically for children with special needs and does not focus on the needs to babies in general.
● The State of Georgia’s Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program helps Georgia families pay for early childhood and school age care programs. Again, this government funded program is focused mainly on childhood education but does not take into consideration what the child needs in order to be at these facilities.

Conclusion
We aim to raise community awareness that “basic human needs” include diapers and that these needs are not being met for children living in poverty; and we will serve as advocates for policy reform so that diapers are included in the definition of and provision for the “basic human needs” of families. We will collect new and wrapped diapers through various local Diaper Drives and distribute them to Douglas and Fulton County families in need through our partner agencies. We have future plans of expanding to more metro Atlanta surrounding counties.

Atlanta Diaper Relief’s team is shaping up to be one fantastic group of dedicated individuals who have lots of heart for babies and families.

And now joining our staff is a woman who is passionate about families and can help us get spread the word with her expertise in dealing with the media.

Meet Tai St. Louis, The Remedy, LLC’s co-founder. Tai will now serve as our Media Relations Manager and lead our efforts to connect with Atlanta’s movers and shakers.

Tai is a Hip-Hop/Urban Entertainment Journalist by trade. When she left her position as Senior News Writer at AllHipHop.com to focus on The Remedy, she soon found that she just COULD NOT ignore the need to share the interesting stories and experiences of the people who make the Entertainment world spin. Thus was born The Feed: a news and content “wire” service for the Urban Entertainment media community.

If you are media or a potential sponsor who would like to connect with us, please contact Tai at Tai@atlantadiaperrelief.org.