Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Rojas.
Gabriela, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Gabriela Rojas and I am the Executive Director of Miami Diaper Bank, a local nonprofit serving families with diaper need. As a mother to a now 4-year-old boy, I know first hand what it is like to struggle to afford diapers. When my son was born, I was pursuing my college degree and working part time. I quickly learned that I couldn’t do it all and leaned on help from government programs to keep me afloat. I was shocked to find out that none of the assistance programs available to me covered diapers, one of the main things I needed for my child. I’m lucky enough to have a support system that jumped in to help but my brief struggle taught me how important it is to help other families that are going through difficult times.
I looked for ways to get involved in the community and started working with Miami Diaper Bank to help with diaper deliveries, donations and working at community events to spread awareness about their work. The Miami Diaper Bank team saw my passion and dedication to the cause and offered me a position in the organization. Fast forward to a year later and the Executive Director position opened up and I knew there was no other place I would rather be than leading this organization and working to help even more families in South Florida. I’m so grateful to be a part of Miami Diaper Bank because seeing a parent’s smile when they receive diapers is the best feeling. I know how important it is as a parent to be able to provide such a basic necessity for your child and helping other mothers in need who are in the position I once was in is extremely fulfilling.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Miami Diaper Bank has always been a small but mighty organization but one of their greatest challenges is the demand for services in our community. There are so many families that need our help and we need a constant supply of diaper donations to keep up. After Hurricane Irma hit South Florida, Miami Diaper Bank dove deep into hurricane relief to help families who were affected by the natural disaster. We quickly found out that Miami Diaper Bank was one of the only diaper banks in the area and decided to expand our service area to six counties to help our neighbors in Monroe, Lee, Collier, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Another challenge we face is spreading awareness about the diaper need issue in our community because our position is, if you don’t know about a problem it’s difficult to help solve it. Many people do not know about the severity of diaper need in South Florida and this is why we are so grateful for people who take time to help us spread the word about our cause to their family and friends. With this work, it really takes a village!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Miami Diaper Bank Inc – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As the Executive Director of a small grassroots nonprofit, I’m involved in every aspect of the organization. From distributing diaper donations to writing thank you cards to attending events, I focus on the day to day operations and making sure everything is working towards our goal of helping families. What’s amazing about Miami Diaper Bank is that everyone involved with the organization really embodies the mission and that’s our main focus in everything we do. As one of the only diaper bank organizations in six South Florida counties we have a huge responsibility to make sure all babies stay clean, dry and healthy. When Hurricane Irma hit, we worked 24/7 to be able to get diapers to families who were affected by the natural disaster. Our hard work allowed us to donate over 1,000,000 diapers in the South Florida community and also taught us valuable lessons to be able to jump in when our neighbors in Puerto Rico were affected by Hurricane Maria and when our friends in the Panhandle were affected by Hurricane Michael. Our main focus is on helping families in need and times of crisis and our dedication shines through the work we do. Really, the best part of my job is visiting our community partners and delivering diapers because it’s a constant reminder of what we’re all working so hard to achieve as a community in Miami.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My vision is to have Miami Diaper Bank continue to grow and be a sustainable organization that can be a pillar of our community to help families and children for years to come. Also, we are planning on having a really big event to bring awareness to the diaper need issue by hosting a Family Fun Bash on September 28th, 2019 to celebrate our work with the community and bring awareness during National Diaper Need Awareness Week.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4770 Biscayne Blvd, suite 980, Miami FL 33137
- Website: www.Miamidiaperbank.com
- Phone: 305-926-3815
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/miamidiaperbank
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/miamidiaperbank
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/mia_diaperbank
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6qfzrxnReQ
Image Credit:
Award with Miami-Dade Superintendent picture: https://www.engagemiamidade.net/copy-of-exemplary-dade-partners
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