#cause dc

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U STREET HAPPENINGS: What’s Good In Our ‘Hood

CAUSE: The Philanthropub 

A way to feed the body and the soul. 

Here’s how it works: You eat drink, and be merry. Cause pays all their bills, and donates all profit to charity. 

Like the sign reads outside the red brick facade, every U st. resident is invited to “Have a pint and save the world” With menu items like hushpuppies, steak n’ fries, and the classic “Just Cause’” Cheeseburger, giving back to U st. has never tasted so sweet. What’s even better about this place is that they are ethical no matter how high the standards. All chicken is free range, beef is grass fed, and pork is local. Their seafood is sustainable, and all produce comes from local farmers. NPR has called it “Benevolence through beer, donating via daiquiri, or generosity by gin and tonic.”

Temporarily shut down for renovation, the pub is slated to reopen by the end of the month. 

-Emmy Levine

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Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego CAUSE?

...Checking out the horizon in Alaska!

Check out our map to see other places CAUSE has been. 

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CAUSE and Life Pieces to Masterpieces

This concludes this week's series exploring the work and impact of Life Pieces to Masterpieces, one of CAUSE’s featured organizations for 2013 Q2. 

As you already know, CAUSE donates 100% of its profits after expenses to its featured organizations. This means that all of those Madibas you guzzled while you jumped around on Old School Hip Hop Saturday nights-- heck, even those tootsee rolls you're trying to forget-- go to a truly meaningful place. 

In early April, several representatives from LPTM stopped in for a happy hour to chat with patrons about their organization and its relationship with CAUSE.

Here's what CAUSE founder Nick Vilelle had to say about Life Pieces to Masterpieces:

In my eyes, Life Pieces To Masterpieces is a fantastic organization for multiple reasons.  First, if you have had a chance to visit their campus as I have, you can't help but be overpowered by the impact that they are having on the kids they work with.  It is truly inspiring to see the work they are doing, and the care with which they do it.  I could go on and on about this element, but this is not the only element that makes Life Pieces To Masterpieces a forward thinking kind of organization.  

I have been very impressed with Life Pieces' plan for growth, how they hope to scale up to reach more kids through different programs, and how they are focused on their own sustainability.  This last piece is one that shows the heart and mind working in unison.  Seeing the staff members at Life Pieces strategically plan to develop revenue streams from their Corporate Art Program and the sales of the art work shows that they are focused on all aspects of how they can create impact, and do it into the future.  Life Pieces' recognizes that helping one child for one year is important, but more important is having sustained impact on this generation of children and thus helping to break the cycle for the next generation.  

Learn more about them - you can't help but be inspired.    

Like all featured organizations, LPTM was selected through CAUSE's application process and then vetted by the advisory board. CAUSE's profits from this quarter will be donated to help further the work of Life Pieces to Masterpieces, as well as the two other organizations One Acre Fund  and Year Up. 

In between working on your hammer dance in the coming weeks, be on the lookout for more information and profiles on this quarter's other featured organizations. 

(Photos at CAUSE by Abbas Sabur)

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Have you heard about CAUSE's Q2 featured organizations?

Here's a primer of the second class of featured organizations. As a reminder, 100% of our Q2 proceeds will support these orgs. Stay tuned right here for more info on the efforts of these wonderful groups in the coming few weeks. 

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We are proud to present our second group of charitable organizations.  These three organizations are doing fantastic work in their respective communities and we are proud to be able to donate our second quarter profits to help them continue to provide these life changing services. This group was selected through our application process and vetted by our Advisory Board.  To nominate an organization to be featured next quarter, go to Our Causes.

Life Pieces To Masterpieces provides opportunities for African American boys and young men ages 3 - 25 in Greater Washington, DC by developing their character, unlocking their potential, and empowering them to transform their lives and communities. Through academic tutoring, mentoring, leadership development, art enrichment, meditation, and character education, our young boys and men learn they have the power to control their future. (Washington, D.C.)

One Acre Fund is concentrated on one-acre subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa – one of the largest groups of "forgotten poor" in the world. They provide a complete, functioning market system – making it possible for even the poorest and most rural farmer to generate more income, and permanently solve their own hunger problem. (East and Southern Africa)

Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. (Washington DC Metro region)

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There are plenty of for-profit companies positively impacting the world by producing products that make our lives easier, the world greener, or solve a fundamental problem. And countless examples of successful businesspeople who have sought to apply qualities they honed maximizing profits to charitable endeavors. The best companies and organizations are built around strong leaders who know what they believe in and act upon those motivations to better the world. At its core, a business--regardless of how it’s incorporated--won’t last if it isn’t adding value to the world.

From the Fast Company article about Robert Kaplan, "Connecting The Worlds Of For-Profit And Nonprofit For Greater Good"