From the founder:
Just before Christmas of 2019, I decided I wanted to do something for the police officers that sacrifice so much of their lives to protect and support ours. Sure, I occasionally pick up their coffee or lunch tab when I see them around town, but I wanted to do something more. Since I also want to support our local small businesses, because I feel they are the lifeblood of a community, I went on the hunt for a locally-owned coffee shop that was close to the police station to see if they were interested in helping make a difference in our community.
I found Village Roaster, with three locations in Lakewood, and one just happened to be right across the street from our Police Station! I contacted the owner and set up a meeting. Within 30 minutes, we were both energized to make this happen. I proceeded by purchasing a gift card, that he coordinated with his staff to use for our police officers on Christmas Eve.
I printed off some flyers advertising what we set up, and took them to the police station for distribution. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was hoping at least a few officers would stop by and have some coffee on me. I waited, then made a stop to Village Roaster after the holiday to check on the gift card. I was amazed to hear that it was completely used up! That meant at least 20 officers enjoyed coffee on me, which made my day.
I then posted my story on NextDoor to see if anyone wanted to chip in and help me do another event, and to my surprise, over 40 neighbors offered to donate to the cause. It was this moment and with their support and encouragement, that I decided to put a formal charity together for transparency and legitimacy, and hopefully grow this into something that enriches our entire community, and hopefully many more in the future.
I know there are people out there that have giving hearts. And I believe if there was an easy way for them to give directly to their community, they would be even more willing to give. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and I hope that you jump on board with us!
The Charity:
Beginning in February of 2020, BecauseWeCan Foundation was born, and filed for a 501c(3) non-profit status. Not only does that reduce our credit card processing fees, it also means that all donations you make are tax-deductible for you!