Java Jog Returns to Raise Money for Women Grower Communities

The Java Jog for a Cause event — held in conjunction with the SCA expo weekend, this year in Seattle — is back after a year’s hiatus, as organizers are once again seeking runners and other volunteers to help raise money for women in coffee-growing communities.

The event has raised more than $75,000 since the initial Java Jog in 2013, with money thus far going toward initiatives in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Recipients of the funds raised are selected through an independent grant process.

Past Java Jogs have supported the International Women’s Coffee Alliance-assisted construction of the first washing station for the Tuungane cooperative in the DRC, and the Girls Gotta Run program in Ethiopia, which provided athletic scholarships to girls and micro-business grants to their households, affecting some 150 family members in the Wolita growing region.

This year, the Java Jog’s theme is “Global,” and organizers are encouraging women’s groups from around the world to submit grant proposals.

“What is exciting about this year’s event is we have invited women’s groups in coffee producing countries from all corners of the world to apply for our grants,” said Java Jog Co-Founder and Equal Exchange Coffee Quality Manager Beth Ann Caspersen. “All of the funds that we earn from the runners go directly to the grants we award.”

People attending the upcoming SCA Expo in Seattle are encouraged to join to jog or walk, volunteer on race day, or support the race or sponsor in individual runners through Java Jog’s Crowdwise page.

Here are some vitals:

Date: Friday, April 21, 2017
Time: 7:00am 10K Run; 7:30am 5K Run and Walk
Location: South Lake Union Park, Seattle. Transportation details here.
Register: To register, visit SCA Global Coffee Expo or JavaJog.org