Starbucks announces that through its partnership with Oprah Winfrey, global media leader and philanthropist, sales of Teavana Oprah Chai have raised more than $5 million for youth organizations in the U.S. and Canada.
To celebrate this significant milestone and to express thanks, Starbucks is inviting customers to come into participating U.S. and Canada Starbucks stores Thursday, April 9 through Saturday, April 11, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. For every purchase of a Teavana Oprah Cinnamon Chai Latte, customers will receive a free Teavana Oprah Cinnamon Chai Latte to share. Starbucks will donate twenty-five cents for both beverages to support youth education. 100 percent of all proceeds made to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation from Teavana Oprah Chai goes to the Foundation, which in turn provides further funding to Girls Inc., National CARES Mentoring Movement, Pathways to College and U.S. Dream Academy.
“Starbucks and Teavana, in partnership with Oprah Winfrey and organizations like Girls Inc., are investing in our future leaders, recognizing that education, training, and mentorship are critical assets for youth across the U.S. and Canada,” says Annie Young-Scrivner, president, Teavana. “Customers can join in this meaningful give-back April 9-11, and when they buy one Teavana Oprah Cinnamon Chai Latte they will receive a second one to share; Starbucks will pay the donation for both beverages. This is just one way to say thank you to our customers for their support of Teavana Oprah Chai. Together we can create pathways for future opportunities for young people, an objective which all three organizations share.”
Oprah Winfrey visited with young women from Girls Inc. to discuss the importance of education. Some of these young women will be featured in a special Teavana Oprah Chai TV commercial that runs this week on NBC during “The Voice” and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Girls Inc., National CARES Mentoring Movement, Pathways to College, and U.S. Dream Academy depend on fundraising efforts and alliances such as the collaboration between Starbucks and Oprah Winfrey.
“Girls Inc. is honored to be celebrating this one year anniversary with Oprah Winfrey, Starbucks, and Teavana as we partner to advance opportunities for thousands of girls,” says Judy Vredenburgh, president and CEO, Girls Inc. “We are committed to inspiring girls to be strong, smart, and bold and promote the ability of all girls to achieve academic success and higher education. We are so thankful for Oprah’s, Starbucks, and Teavana’s leadership in supporting our mission.”
“The generous support of Oprah Winfrey and Starbucks this past year has allowed us to both expand and deepen our in-school mentoring program, The Rising, which seeks to socially, emotionally, and academically undergird the lives of thousands of the nation’s most defenseless children served by our volunteer army of mentors.” says Susan L. Taylor, founder and CEO of the National CARES Mentoring Movement. “This is a shining example of the collaborative, visionary leadership so needed in the world today.”
"Again and again, Pathways to College uncovers and nurtures potential where others may overlook it,” says Judith Griffin, CEO of Pathways to College. "The partnership of Oprah Winfrey, Starbucks, and Teavana has put us on a trajectory that is changing the prospects of many children far into the future. Investing in Pathways is investing in America."
“We are grateful to Oprah, Starbucks, and Teavana for this incredible opportunity to work together to make change in the communities where we live, work, and serve. The financial support we've received has made it possible for us to expand our programs to reach even more young people with mentoring and academic support,” says Wintley Phipps, CEO and founder, U.S. Dream Academy. “And the Starbucks and Teavana partners across the country have provided a special touch to each of our local Dream Academy Learning Centers through their warm reception of this initiative and their outreach to our local staff and students.”
Starbucks has recently made a commitment to hire 10,000 young people who are not in school or are unemployed over the next 3 years, and Starbucks is also making college education possible for thousands of employees through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, which has 2,000 partners enrolled in the program, with a goal to graduate 25,000 partners by 2025.
