After receiving official nonprofit status in July, Nicole Kaczmarek is helping impoverished youth in Plant City through her organization, The Lily Blossoms Foundation.
Nicole Kaczmarek gave birth to her first child when she was 14.
She went to work. On would go the Publix uniform. Then off. Then on the McDonald’s uniform after her Publix shift.
“I would never encourage that,” Kaczmarek said. “It certainly has been hard. But you have to know how to face adversity and overcome it. Somehow, by the grace of God, I was able to overcome that.”
Nineteen years later, Kaczmarek is helping others to do the same.
Kaczmarek is the founder of The Lily Blossoms Foundation, an organization that centers around providing children in need with clothing, shoes and other necessities. The Lily Blossoms Foundation was granted nonprofit status in July, but Kaczmarek has been running the operation since 2012.
With her family, Kaczmarek participated in an Angel Tree program at Lincoln Elementary, which provides new clothing and toys to children during the holidays. She partnered with Janell Johnson, a Head Start teacher at Lincoln, to help provide the Angel Trees.
For Kaczmarek, the initiative was a way to give back, and it has evolved into a desire to keep doing more.
The Beginnings
Kaczmarek met her now ex-husband when she was 16. The couple divorced in 2008, making Kaczmarek a single mom to three children.
“I’m fortunate to still co-parent with him,” Kaczmarek said. “At that time, in 2008, I had a career. I was on the board of directors for the Give A Kid A Backpack Foundation, and I was doing online classes.”
Through that, Kaczmarek said, she lost sight of her marriage.
“It was always hard for him to recognize the humanitarian in me,” Kaczmarek said. “I’d rather have nothing and help somebody than have everything and be in my own little world.”
Kaczmarek continued with her volunteer efforts after her divorce. In 2012, she partnered with Janell Johnson, a teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. Together, they participated in the Angel Tree initiative for students at Lincoln. The initiative was created by the Salvation Army.
A Rough Road To A Better Path
Last October, Kaczmarek’s career as a regional logistics manager required a change in location — one she was unable to do, as she had three kids and was fostering an additional two. She was given a severance package.
“I think my career defined, in a sense, who I was,” she said. “That’s what I prided myself on.”
By April, Kaczmarek was in a tough financial spot.
“I had five children depending on me,” she said. “I had exhausted everything, I had used my savings. I had a
breakdown.”
She still gets choked up talking about it.
“It was a really hard time because I felt like I was doing everything I could to make it happen, and it wasn’t,” Kaczmarek said.
But she was still volunteering.
She decided to turn her passion for helping others into a career. And so, The Lily Blossoms Foundation, which functions similarly to the Angel Tree program on a local level, was born.
“This is what I’m supposed to be doing,” she said. “I wanted to establish a nonprofit but I also wanted to be employed. I recognized a little bit more of my value and what I can offer. It’s helped me become an even better mom.”
The Angel Trees through The Lily Blossoms Foundation typically consist of one shirt, one pair of pants, one pair of shoes and one to three toys per child. After gifts are collected during the year, the foundation hosts a wrapping party, usually at O’Brien’s Irish Pub in Plant City.
“O’Brien’s really has been our main supporter,” Kaczmarek said. “It’s great to have the toys, but I think we need to focus on what the needs are. It helps to build self-confidence. Ultimately, it’s about empowering underprivileged youth.”
In 2012 and 2013, the foundation had Angel Trees for 40 children each year. In 2014 and 2015, the foundation supported 80 children.
With the nonprofit status officially tied to the foundation, Kaczmarek is looking to expand the foundation’s outreach efforts in the near future.
Ready to Blossom
Besides running the foundation, Kaczmarek works as a logistics consultant for multiple companies, often flying around the country. The job has helped her improve her networking skills, something she has applied to The Lily Blossoms Foundation.
“You really have to find a way to get beyond that circle and reach out to the mass,” she said. “I’m networking all day, making connections.”
In July, Kaczmarek partnered with Kat DeRosa, of the Original Big Dog’s Patio. The Lily Blossoms Foundation was able to host Christmas in July at the bar, raising further funds for the foundation. FGD Logistics donated $1,000 to the foundation.
“Kat DeRosa is a really huge mentor in all of this,” Kaczmarek said.
With support from the community, Kaczmarek is upping the ante. She hopes The Lily Blossoms Foundation can provide Angel Trees for 1,000 children this year. She’s continuing to receive support from O’Brien’s and Big Dog’s, as well as Duke’s Brewhouse.
“If you have enough passion, you can make something happen,” Kaczmarek said. “Christmas is right around the corner. I have to make this happen. But I’m not going to stop, no matter what.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com
