SEATTLE, 2014-10-9— /EPR Retail News/ — Since the April launch of Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea, Starbucks has donated nearly $2 million to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation benefitting educational opportunities for youth in communities across the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Every person who purchases Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea is making a difference through the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation, which in turn provides further funding to Girls Inc., National CARES Mentoring Movement, Pathways to College and U.S. Dream Academy.
As part of its commitment to provide lifelong opportunities for young people, Starbucks will continue to make a donation to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation for each Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea product sold in Starbucks® and Teavana® stores in the U.S. and Canada. These contributions support powerful mentorship, educational and engagement programs for youth through several nonprofit organizations.
Finding her Talent for Science – Girls Inc.
Andrea’s family struggled financially and at one point moved in with family members. One of the organizations receiving support from the Oprah Leadership Academy Foundation, Girls Inc., gave Andrea and her sisters opportunities to participate in a range of activities in science, sports, theater and college preparation classes.
When Andrea was five years old, she started attending Girls Inc. in Carpinteria, California after school where she found her passion for science through an animal care program. A year later she started conducting science experiments at Girls Inc., which she credits for providing her the academic foundation needed to excel in the advanced science and math classes in high school.
“Girls Inc. helped me in so many ways,” Andrea said. “I developed self-confidence and Girls Inc. provided me a safe, positive environment so I could focus on school instead of everything going on at home.”
Now 19 years old, she is attending Harvard University, studying to become a pediatric doctor.
Mentoring – when done well – can play a pivotal role in helping young people succeed in life. Research shows that mentoring relationships help reduce the incidence of delinquency, substance abuse and academic failure. According to a recent study, The Mentoring Effective: Young People’s Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring, there are 9 million at-risk young people who will reach adulthood without connecting with a mentor.
Learning to “dream big” – U.S. Dream Academy
Stephon Littles and his niece Dahmierah Baker were in elementary school when their fathers were incarcerated in unrelated incidents. Both children felt alone and were unsure of their futures. They didn’t have supportive adults around to help guide them during a painful time in their young lives. Then they found U.S. Dream Academy, one of the beneficiary nonprofit organizations.
“My mother was a single parent while my father was incarcerated. Coming to the Dream Academy helped me cope with my secret pain. I was also challenged academically and learned how to dream big from my mentors,” said Stephon.
“Times were not easy when my dad was incarcerated,” said Dahmierah, now 19. “The U.S. Dream Academy taught me how to cope with my emotions. It made me realize that I am loved no matter what and that there are people who care and who will always there to help me,” she said.
Dahmierah is a sophomore in a Philadelphia community college pursuing a degree in nursing.
According to the U.S. Dream Academy, there are approximately 10 million children in the United States who have been impacted by incarceration of a family member. Without intervention, some studies suggest that these children are six times more likely than their peers to be incarcerated. However, having a supportive adult outside of the family can have a mitigating effect.
Everyone Can Make a Difference in A Young Person’s Life
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation, Girls Inc., U.S. Dream Academy, National CARES Mentoring Movement and Pathways to College depend on fundraising efforts and alliances such as the collaboration between Starbucks and Oprah Winfrey.
Starbucks is making a donation from each purchase of Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea products. Here are a few examples on how Starbucks support helps:
$5 will provide supplies for one mentoring session with the National CARES Mentoring Movement.
$100 will provide healthy snacks for 200 children for a day of programs and mentoring at U.S. Dream Academy, or 15 hours of academic, recreation and support after school.
$50 provides supplies for one group-mentoring session for middle school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
“It’s amazing to see how our customers and our partners have embraced the Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea and the opportunity to give back to the community in an impactful way,” said Annie Young-Scrivner, president, Teavana®. “The fact that we’ve been able to donate nearly $2 million to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Foundation in just six months is remarkable, and we will continue to drive donations through the sale of Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea. Each and every one of us can make a difference and this alliance makes it easy to enjoy a delicious Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea and feel good about supporting youth through these incredible nonprofit organizations.”
Customers may enjoy Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea in a variety of ways. Each purchase supports the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation to help benefit youth education. For each purchase, Starbucks will donate the following:
Handcrafted Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea Latte: $0.25 from every beverage sold at participating Starbucks® stores in the U.S. and Canada and Teavana® Tea Bars in the U.S.
Brewed Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea: $0.25 from every hot or iced brewed tea sold at participating Teavana® stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Teavana® Oprah Chai Loose-Leaf Tea: $1 for each 2 oz. package of loose-leaf tea sold at Starbucks retail and Teavana® stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea Gift Set and Tins:
Starbucks will make a $1 donation for each small gift set purchased. The small gift set includes 2 oz. tea plus a double wall glass tumbler and stainless steel filter and is available at participating Starbucks® stores in the U.S.
$4 for each large gift set which includes 8 oz. tea with two cups and a tea pot and is available at participating Teavana® stores in the U.S. and Canada.
$1 for each Teavana® Oprah Chai storage tin sold at participating Teavana® stores in the U.S. and Canada.
For more information on this news release, contact us.
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