Page 179 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 5

nessed that agency’s positive impact on the community, the
organization can apply for support from The Starbucks Foun-
dation.
One organization that has benefited greatly from The Star-
bucks Foundation and the volunteer work of Starbucks part-
ners is DeafHope, a community group that provides services
to deaf domestic abuse victims. Julie Rems-Smario, executive
director of DeafHope, says, “The employees of Starbucks are
our angels—they have been so generous with their time and
talents to improve the DeafHope house by remodeling and
improving our wiring system to meet the demands of tech-
nology and accessibility.”
It was through the involvement of Starbucks partners that
DeafHope secured a $25,000 grant from The Starbucks
Foundation. Julie shares that with the Starbucks grant, Deaf-
164 Hope is able to continue to provide free support services for
survivors, upholding its mission to end domestic and sexual
violence against deaf women and children through empow-
erment and education.
What does DeafHope’s mission mean in the lives of those
it serves? Julie reports that a mother of four told her, “I left
my abusive husband who was starting to hurt my children
too. I had no place to go. The shelters were not accessible.
The police could not understand me. My children and I
needed safety, and we found it at DeafHope.”
Donna Cahill, executive director of Holy Family Day
Home, an organization providing early educational child
care, summarizes the impact of Starbucks corporate
giving. After her organization received a $50,000 grant
from The Starbucks Foundation, Donna simply noted,
“Thanks. . . . You really are serving more than coffee in our
community.”