Part IX of a 2009 series. January, the resolution.February, Rebuilding Together, Metro Denver. March, Beacon Youth and Family Center. April, Denver Rescue Mission. May, SAME Café. June, Lighthouse Writers Workshop. July, Institute for International Education (IIE). August, Bonfils Blood Center.

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I'm three quarters towards completing my new year's resolution to volunteer monthly at a different non-profit in 2009. In the process, I am uncovering and discovering some diverse causes and some very interesting people. Take, for example, my September project : Denver's own Socially Conscious Coffee (SCC) founded in 2002 by Stephanie Palm Neves. SCC's mission is to create sustainable prosperity for coffee harvesters, their families and communities through education, healthcare and environmental stewardship.

ABOUT SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS COFFEE

Big things have been happening in the seven years since SCC's inception. In 2004, Socially Conscious Coffee built a 9,149 sq. ft. school / community center which they named Centro Rural Educafé located on a coffee farm in Encruzilhada, Bahia, Brazil. Over time, SCC funds have been used to provide primary education to more than 120 children and adults, to serve more than 139,800 meals, to provide safe drinking water for 150 people, to partner with local dentists, and to teach approximately 840 people each year basic safe health and hygiene practices, disease prevention, water and food safety and environmental stewardship. In 2007, the United Nations and Rotary International honored SCC for their advocacy in the advancement of U.N. Millenium Development Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education. In 2009, SCC made a major announcement of a new partnership with the Kempe Foundation and Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect in which the two are jointly developing strategies to teach local leaders, doctors, harvesters and their spouses methods of identifying and preventing child abuse and neglect. ( Read the full press release here.)

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

SCC goes further than Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance by providing education and healthcare for the workers and their families in addition to promoting economic development, and teaching environmental stewardship, health and hygiene, water and food safety, and positive parenting. development[DN1] . In the future, new community projects will reflect the model now developing in Encruzilhada.

A TASTE OF BRAZIL

For my part, I volunteered to work during a fundraiser dinner which treated guests to a traditional Brazilian feast and relaxing, live music in the privacy and comfort of one of Denver's nicest homes in the Bonnie Brae neighborhood. The silent auction offered guests a diverse array of Brazilian handicrafts as well as some size 17 basketball shoes donated by our local Brazilian celebrity, Nugget's player, Nene.

AMERICA - MELTING POT OR COFFEE POT?

Americans buy and drink a lot of coffee. According to SCC's website, we drink an average 3.2 cups per day or a total of 400 million cups per day. By making conscious choices about the coffee we purchase, we can continue supporting our habit while at the same time making the world a better place. SCC beans can be purchased through Stone Creek Coffee Roasters, or in blended mixes from Dilworth Coffee. Of if you prefer the direct route, you can visit SCCoffee.org and make a donation online. Think of the good consumers can do. Don't stop drinking your favorite addiction, just starting putting your money where the mouth is.

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For more information, consult www.sccoffee.org or call 720 201 1790.