The Button, a nonprofit organization that confidentially disburses requested personal care items to pre-teen and teenage children in Bulloch County, is slated to celebrate its second anniversary this month. Two years ago, Liz Corbett, founder of the aid agency, started gathering toiletries in her kitchen. Little by little, as more donations were contributed, Corbett moved the items into her family room. She realized at that time they needed more space.
"There was a metal building beside Connection Church, and that's home to me," Corbett says. "So we started doing that and moved inside in the fall [of 2022]."
The Button currently has its own office to store items when they collect donated toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, shampoo, deodorant, and myriad other necessary items that the average person takes for granted most days.
"Now we're in our own little room and it doesn't look like much but, I have to tell you, it has been amazing to watch," Corbett says.
Beginning this mission with literally just a vision of how to provide the essentials to area teenagers, Corbett says she simply trusted that God would provide what they needed to establish a legitimate nonprofit organization.
Corbett says The Button is in year two of its three-year plan to provide for all school-age children who request supplies. She has recently established a board of directors, as well.
The idea for this worthwhile cause came while Corbett was volunteering at her child's school. She was having a conversation with a staff member about immediate needs their population were experiencing. "How can we help them now?," Corbett recalls. "They need it now." They continued to brainstorm, and the idea of a "closet" was broached.
"A closet where the kids could get what they need [to use] at home, but they could get it here and nobody would judge or question -- where they could go in and keep their dignity," Corbett continues.
She went home, gathered some items, and returned shortly thereafter. "I had two tubs and I put them on his desk and I said, 'How serious are you? Because I'm ready to go today.'"
Teens request various personal hygiene products privately via a Google Form with over 20 choices. Their identities are not revealed to Corbett or any of The Button's volunteers, and the anonymity is preserved through drop-off and delivery as well. All packages are customized to meet each child's needs.
"Every time we fill a bag, it's individualized; we're not just handing a full, ready bag every time," Corbett says. "It's discreet; it's anonymous; we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."
The name of the organization also helps kids to remain unidentified. The moniker, "The Button," was ultimately chosen for two critical reasons. "You want something that has nothing to do with hygiene," Corbett explains. "It's as easy as hitting a button, and the kids find out just how easy it is."
Requests are filled almost instantaneously and delivered three times a week, so the young men and women don't have to wait long for vital grooming items.
Corbett has a compassionate heart for older children. "We've forgotten about teenagers. What are you going to do? Tell a 12-, 13-, or 14-year-old kid 'go get a job' to go buy soap? I don't think so," she says definitively. "I mean they're asking for this."
Recently, The Button received its 501(c)(3) status as an official nonprofit organization. Corbett and friends always welcome donations of assorted hygiene items, especially for the summer survival bags they will soon start assembling. These kits are designed to get kids through the summer without having to forego personal care.
Since starting two years ago, The Button has distributed more than 26,262 items to local teenagers with no end in sight. As the requests continue to roll in, the woman who started with two containers of items to donate has a renewed fervor for this cause.
"It's amazing to see what's happening," Corbett says.
To learn more about The Button and how you can volunteer or donate, please visit https://www.facebook.com/TheButton912. You can also purchase items for their Summer Survival Bags here.