Supporting Fair Trade and IC

[Guest guest]

Hello friends and family. I wanted to introduce you to an organization

that I have been blessed to help start and to be giving some of my time

to...

Early this year I was introduced to Urban Youth Impact - a fantastic

organization that supports youth in Riviera Beach, FL

(www.urbanyouthimpact.com <http://www.urbanyouthimpact.com/> ). I felt

compelled to connect my passion for business-building with this fine

organization in some way.

While talking with a good friend, ( started a

successful " fair trade " company in New Zealand), we brainstormed an idea

for a non-profit that might impact these kids at UYI in a meaningful

way. After taking the idea to Bill Hobbs (the Founder/President of

Urban Youth Impact) and Leo Abdella (the Chair of UYI) - I found that

they loved the concept, added to it, and we began to move the concept

forward...

The basics of the concept:

* Put 15-19 year old kids with a passion for business in

positions within the company

* Help them start a coffee business based on triple bottom line

principles <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_bottom_line>

* Let them run the business and learn from all the ups and downs

that happen every day in small businesses

* Provide mentors, training, tools and oversight by connecting

to business people in the community looking to give back

* Start with fair trade coffee sales (the most widely accepted

drink in the world) and connect the kids to a specific village that

picks the beans - make sure it is fair trade and organic so we can teach

the kids about corporate social responsibility, the power of organic and

fair trade and how to give back. In partnership with our supplier, we

picked a village in Ethiopia.

* Set aside all profits to support local projects through Urban

Youth Impact and also to support specific projects for our sister

village where the beans are picked (largely by other young people)

First step, find our leader... With Bill and his team's help, I

interviewed several young people that were interested. These kids all

had intriguing stories about growing up in their neighborhoods... I

asked them about their passions, what they saw in their future, etc.

Then I met a fantastic 17 year old young woman named Jataria Hudson! I

asked her what she would be doing in 10 years and her answer was, " I am

going to own my own business! " With that, we had a General Manager.

With the help of some fantastic people (Steph Lutz, Holly Boland,

Fix, Jim Snyder, St Amand, others) we launched Impact Coffee at a

Christ Fellowship Impact Leadership Event in West Palm Beach, FL on Oct

8, 2008. It was a rocky start (as most start-ups are), web issues,

PayPal issues, etc. but we received our first order that day from a very

good friend, Agarth of NewOrganics.

I have to tell you, this is truly an incredible experience for all of us

involved. To see Jataria (and now our second employee, Chris) learning,

growing, beginning to get involved, taking ownership of the business is

truly special!

When you purchase your coffee (every month) from Impact Coffee

<http://www.impactcoffee.com/> you are truly making a difference:

* Helping Jataria and her team learn real lessons regarding

running a business that will benefit them for many years

* Helping Impact Coffee make money that can impact their local

community

* Teaching these kids about corporate social responsibility -

how companies can impact their communities and the world

* Supporting our sister village in Ethiopia - a portion of all

proceeds will go to help them add on to their village school

So,

a) go to www.impactcoffee.com <http://www.impactcoffee.com/> and buy

some coffee for yourself, your office and buy some to give to others

this holiday season! It is fantastic coffee!,

sign up for our e-newsletter and encourage others to do so - we will

keep you updated on our progress, and

c) forward this email on to others you think might be inspired by these

kids and their efforts... Impact Coffee is a non-profit organization

and all profits are used to further our initiatives and truly impact the

lives of all the kids involved both here in FL and in Ethiopia!

God bless you and thank you in advance for anything you might do to

support our effort.

Impact Coffee Sponsor