Grounds for Health – It’s Been 20 Years by Pam Kahl – VP, Development & Communications – Grounds for Health

Editor’s Note: Royal Coffee has been pleased to work with Grounds for Health since 2006. We invited Pam Kahl to speak a little about why their mission is as important as ever. Join us and support this incredible organization through participating in the Grounds for Health Auction, which concludes June 23rd, 2016.

For those of you who attended the opening ceremonies at this year’s SCAA Expo, you may have heard Ric Rhinehart talk about how the coffee industry is a collection of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Ric highlighted Grounds for Health to illustrate the point.

As many in the coffee industry already know, since our founding 20 years ago, Grounds for Health’s mission has always been focused on women’s health, cervical cancer specifically. Why? Because it is one of the most significant disparities in women’s global health today and it’s nearly 100% preventable. It’s a disease we don’t hear about much in the United States or Europe because our health systems are strong. But in many poor countries, cervical cancer is a leading cause of death among women in their prime—30-50 years old. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in the next 15 years deaths from cervical cancer will greatly exceed those from pregnancy-related issues.

The connection between Royal Coffee, Inc. and Grounds for Health runs deep. A supporter since 2006, Bob Fulmer has been unrelenting in his belief and passion for the mission. Bob led the charge to establish the Grounds for Health annual coffee auction, which takes place later this month. A long-time member of the board of directors, Bob now serves as Vice Chair, working closely with a team of leaders from both the coffee industry and the global health sector.

I’m immensely proud to be part of an industry that sees the value of supporting women’s health at origin,” notes Fulmer. “Grounds for Health has an ambitious goal to reach 50,000 women annually by 2020. But they can’t get there without a significant commitment from all of us across the supply chain.

To date Grounds for Health programs have resulted in more than 61,000 women screened, nearly 4,200 women treated and 400+ community health providers trained.

What can you do to support Grounds for Health?

Here are four suggestions:

  • Participate in this month’s Grounds for Health Auction. It’s easy to register and bid, so jump in the mix and win some world class coffee!
  • Partner with the Grounds for Health team on a brand-building marketing program. This is a great way to connect more directly with customers and contribute to the cause.
  • Join Royal Coffee, Inc. in our Leadership Circle. Our Leadership Circle partners play a critical role in enabling growth and innovation.
  • Contribute directly to the newly launched Kenya program. The goal is to raise $100K by the end of year.

Read more about Grounds for Health’s work here.

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