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March 15 - April 4, 2014
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Cup O’Karma comes to Chandler library ‘Community Café for a Cause’ BY TRACY HOUSE
Grab a snack, a cup of coffee or browse the crafts at Chandler Downtown Library’s newest addition, Cup O’Karma Chandler, the “Community Café for a Cause.” The café is operated by National Advocacy and Training Network (NATN), a nonprofit that was founded in 2002 by a group of survivors, volunteers, advocates and professionals working to end violence against women and children. “They are planning on having different coffee beverages, food, snacks,” explains Brenda Brown, library manager. “They also sell gifts and handmade jewelry and crafts. I’m excited about it because I believe having a café in the downtown library will add value for the library experience.” MonaLou Callery, NATN founder and chief operating officer, explains that the money earned through Cup O’Karma is used to fund the four homes—two in Chandler and two in Mesa—for battered and sexually abused women and children. Callery says the foundation helps approximately 80 women and children a year. Women can stay in the homes for up to two years as they work to become independent and learn transferable job skills. “It’s not just a short-term Band-Aid approach that we take.”
Cup O’Karma was established in Mesa. Callery says when the foundation heard about the request for proposal for the Chandler site it decided to pursue it. “They selected us. We were ecstatic over that,” she says. “When we saw who we were up against...we saw some big retail coffee chains trying to get it so we were a little surprised they picked us.” Some of the women from the homes and community volunteers acting as mentors work in the café. The NATN program provides career and job coaching and resume writing to help the women find a permanent job. Cup O’Karma was featured on “Secret Millionaire” on Aug. 11, 2013, with Jay Deutsch, chief executive officer and co-founder of Bensussen Deutsch and Associates (BDA). From that encounter, NATN received a donation and was able to buy the fourth home in Chandler. Once a woman is ready to move out on her own, NATN helps secure living arrangements. “To start all over, you can only imagine how expensive that is to start from scratch,” Callery comments. “So we take donations of furniture and household items and really help set up the household for the women and the kids when they’re ready to move on beyond us.” Callery says Cup O’Karma Chandler will have a theme each month, honoring
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a different culture and featuring specialty drinks in addition to the food and craft items available. The grand opening was March 1. Members from Soroptimist International of the San Tans (SIST) were on hand to lend their support and help serve. NATN’s main project, Support, Education, Empowerment and Directions (SEEDS) is the SIST 2013-2014 grant award winner. The grant money and proceeds from the coffee shop go toward the programs sponsored by NATN including services and training. “It’s going to be more than a cup of coffee,” Callery says. “We say we don’t sell a cup of coffee we sell our mission.” Cup O’Karma Chandler is located in the Downtown Chandler Library, 22 S. Delaware St., Chandler. Open during library hours, the cafe is on the library’s first floor. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information about National Advocacy and Training Network, visit www.natn-az.org. Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nomoreviolence or www.facebook/cupokarma. Tracy House is the news editor for the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at tracy@santansun.com.
COFFEE-CAFÉ-CRAFTS: Cup O’Karma inside the Chandler Downtown Library offers coffee, breakfast and lunch, as well as crafts and boutique items. All the proceeds go to National Advocacy and Training Network to help victims of abuse. STSN photo by Tracy House
HELPING HANDS: Members of the Soroptimist International of the San Tans were on hand to lend their support for Cup O’Karma’s grand opening. From left, Kathryn Pierce, Karen Goodrich, Alexis Alcott, Robert Dapcich (executive director of National Advocacy and Training Network), Karen Drake and Elaine Beery. STSN photo by Tracy House