Changemaker: 'It all connects to community'

Diosselyn Tot-Velasquez, an associate relationship manager in the Midwest Region, was named one of four changemakers by BeGreat Together. The organization is highlighting her course on how to replicate some of her youth programming and mural painting, in a series they call DocuCourse, along with her personal story. The video will be released Sept. 18 as part of a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Tot-Velasquez came to Kansas City, Kansas, from Guatemala at the age of 6. "My dad used to transport and sell cars. He loved Kansas City and bought into the American Dream. He came to Kansas and then we came after." 

Tot-Velasquez has been involved with community development since she was 12 years old and started volunteering with organizations, including Community Housing of Wyandotte County (CHWC). She started with filing and translating documents, and then her mentor Steve Curtis moved her to arts and green initiatives. She helped form the first teen Art Squad at CHWC.  

"It’s innately in me now," she says. "It all connects to community." 

Community also connects to her job at NeighborWorks, and as cofounder, with Curtis, of Urbanworks, an organization that works on community building and engagement through arts and green initiatives like those she encountered growing up. Now a U.S. citizen, she has also done immigration and advocacy work. She continues to work on murals and lead projects and serves as chair of the Latino Arts Foundation. The Kansas City community has "seen me grow up; they’ve all been a part of my journey." 

Avrell Stokes, BeGreat Together's president, says they're humbled by Tot-Velasquez's community leadership. "And for entrusting us with telling her story. Trust is what allows these types of innovative approaches to come to fruition. Our hope is to continue partnering with leaders like Diosselyn and other organizations who may be inspired by and see the transformative power of DocuCourse in shaping narratives and driving action in communities." 

The docucourse will air on Sept. 18 beginning at 6 p.m. 

Hear directly from the changemaker herself and learn more about her journey:

You started volunteering at the age of 12. How did you get involved so early? 

My parents were big on giving back to the community. They are pastors. Hence, I grew up with it. I

was able to get into a local program under the Community Avenue Betterment Association, which placed me at a local nonprofit Community Housing of Wyandotte County. From there, since it was in my own neighborhood, I just kept showing up and they continue to let me help and get engaged.  

Now you often work with youth. Why is that important to you?  

I am a product/outcome of my community. Every opportunity, every experience and every person I met has been key to my growth and professional development. I want to be able to give back and provide some of these resources to my community. I know it works; the next generation still needs the same things to continue to persevere and create.   

How does your work with NeighborWorks and Urbanworks intersect?  

In community building and engagement – this is the work I love and do. Hence, it was a big thing for me when I became the regional liaison for Midwest Community Building and Engagement. Everything that I have been able to assist on, has been like a full cycle for me. The workshops I used to look up to, now I can help plan them. And then with my community, now I get to implement everything that I have learned and continue to learn and get exposed to.   

How does art combine and lift culture? Could you talk a bit about art as community engagement? 

Art as a tool of engagement gives a form of alternative expression, by using mediums people feel comfortable in, to express the issues or things they care about. Bringing in the arts offers not only a form of expression but opens the doors to other parts of us. It can help relieve stress, it can help share a story and tell it through images, it can highlight and raise awareness. It can show the identity of a community and what parts it contains. It can enhance a neighborhood by adding colors and calling attention to events or issues. It can celebrate neighbors or schools, etc. Art brings in colors and creativity that helps revive the community. 

Why was immigration work important to you? 

I have my own immigration story, my own journey I had to persevere through. To be able to help out this community, my community, it's indescribable. The one thing I can do, as I know the journey, is be able to make it easier for others with guidance or just by being there. And by highlighting our stories and changing/challenging the negative narratives that are out there.  

How did your own family history influence your decision to work in community development? 

Everything led me to this. All my experiences and journey, it just made sense. It was a hard road to encounter but I was able to find a community and a family through it and this made my passion and desire to give back even stronger. Again, it’s just something that comes from within. I can’t explain it. However, the quote that comes close to it is one I heard in my first NeighborWorks Community Leadership Institute (CLI) by J. Otis, "If you are blessed to see it, then it is your job to change it."