Support at SCAA: Flowed like the Willamette River

Grounds for Health was so gratified to be able to participate fully in SCAA’s Symposium and Trade Show in Portland, Oregon last month. For five days we interacted with old friends and supporters, producer groups with whom we work in country as well as with new friends. Thanks to our loyal supporters, we were able to attend the show, have a booth and hold a reception all at minimum cost to us.

As always, our philosophy is to ensure that donor dollars go where they are needed most: to support the creation of sustainable cervical cancer screening, treatment and training programs that save lives and empower coffee communities.  Our Executive Director, August Burns was absent this year since she was in Geneva, Switzerland participating, by invitation, in a Technical Advisory group of the World Health Organization, revising international guidelines on cervical cancer prevention. Talk about having a seat at the table to make a lasting difference in the fight against this preventable global killer. Thanks to all of our coffee supporters, we do.

Special thanks to the following:

Kerri Goodman-Small and Miles Small of CoffeeTalk Magazine who hosted two nights of “craps” at their suite in the Hilton. Participants bought chips by making a donation to Grounds for Health, and then let it ride, netting $1,520 in donations.

Zephyr Coffee / LDC hosted a get-together at the iconic McMenamins Kennedy School on Thursday night. There they raffled off a new iPad to benefit Grounds for Health, raising $1,100 in the process.

Farmer Brothers / Coffee Bean International was the marquee sponsor for Grounds for Health’s reception, Friday evening at The Heathman Hotel. About 100 friends, supporters and could-be supporters showed up for some great food and drink. A short presentation featured Grounds for Health donor Adam Pesce of Reunion Coffee and a 3-min video, “A Mother Is Waiting” which can be found right on our home page: www.groundsforhealth.org.

Portland’s own Boyd Coffee Company commissioned a piece of art that they sold in their booth and at their plant tours with 20% of the proceeds ($191) coming back to Grounds for Health.

And last but not least, thanks to Howard Weiss, Scolari Engineering, who helped underwrite costs associated with having a booth at the Trade Show.

We left SCAA buoyed by the swell of increasing support and understanding for the mission we share.

Thank you all for a great visit to Portland. See you in Boston in 2013.