Here at Persnickety, we are more than a cup of coffee. We are a mission and a vision to help change the world, one cup of coffee at a time. Currently, we give back to as many charities as we can financially afford, attempting to bolster our local community and causes around the world. Some of these include the Virginia Beach Justice Initiative, which fights human trafficking; Care Net which helps pregnant mothers; and the Catalyst Effect, which encourages people to be empowered and make a difference by speaking up against violence and injustice. We have also given to a local family who is struggling to pay thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills after their baby was attacked by a dog.
Each quarter, the owner of Persnickety, Cecilia, looks at local charities and causes and determines how we can help them. Helping the community is a mission close to her heart and to everyone who wears an apron at the café.
For Summer 2021, we are supporting the International Crane Foundation, that is committed to helping stave off extinction of these beautiful and special birds.
However, it is the long-term vision of the café that astounds and inspires people who hear it. The Persnickety Crane Cafe is only one of the over 25 businesses that, owner and visionary, Cecilia, plans to open. These businesses will be different in their purpose – not all of them will be cafes. It could be a campground, a bookstore, an art studio! Why so many businesses? All of these businesses will eventually be combined into a mall where families can go and create special memories together.
And we aren’t stopping there – the end goal is to take the profit from the Mall and build an orphan home for children from war-torn countries.
Cecilia truly has a heart for children who have been orphaned, endured trauma and hardship, who just need compassion, support, a hug, a smile and a helping hand to set them up for joy and success in their lives. As a veteran and long-time Department of Defense analyst, she is all-to-familiar with the devastation that war has wreaked on countries around the world – Iraq being just one example, where IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and terrorism have left little ones fatherless and with amputated limbs.
Okay, you know the mission and vision – how can you help? Well, it is as easy and DELICIOUS as ordering a cup of coffee! Every cup of coffee goes to planting a new business and building the orphan home and giving back to the community. You can partner with us in our mission to “Change the World, One Cup of Coffee at a Time.”
It is truly a way to feel good about supporting not just local business, but also local community and international causes, as you enjoy, perhaps, our Persnickety Mocha Latte or our Salted Caramel Latte! What a delicious way to make change!
Photo Credit: Tina Graham