Kimberly Bungert
She’s working to provide a higher quality of life
Life changed for Kimberly Bungert after living in QwaQwa, a small region in South Africa where as a college student she worked for a community development agency for three months.
“It was life changing and humbling to see people literally live on one dollar a day,” said Bungert, 26.
Since then, the Iowa City resident has steered her career down a social services path.
A family services coordinator for the Arc of Johnson County and volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County, Bungert said, “I don’t think I could do anything that doesn’t help people.”
The Arc of Johnson County serves and advocates for people with development disabilities such as mental retardation and autism. The nonprofit also assists members of a family caring for a disabled person.
Currently assisting between 60 to 65 families, Bungert said her role involves coordinating in-home services for caregivers of people with disabilities.
“We’re able to help families in the support that they need,” she said. “It’s hard to care for someone with special needs. With my families, I even wonder, ‘How do you do it?’”
Bungert said the goal is giving people a higher quality of life, something that everyone deserves but not everyone gets.
To do that, it sometimes takes no more than a conversation, she said.
Bungert made this observation while volunteering at a nursing home in college and noticing how many residents simply cherished her companionship.
“Relationships are so important,” she said.
This is also why Bungert became a big sister for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County.
“You give and you will receive,” she said. “I’ll be stressed out after a long day and when I see my little sister, I just feel like it’s OK.”
— Hieu Pham
