We want to give back to our community and invest in our community as much as possible. From Day 1, Palace has had a cause latte program. Over the years, the program has been further developed and improved upon so that the cause recipients get the most out of their time as our highlighted cause. In 2018, we rebranded our cause latte program, calling in Kindness is the Cause. We believe that kindness is all around us, but sometimes goes unnoticed or unappreciated.
Originally, our management team selected non-profit organizations in our community to receive $1 of each of our monthly cause lattes sold. Over time, as we built our Palace brand, we realized that our impact could be even greater for these non-profit organizations. We went from having a monthly cause to having a quarterly cause. Having a non-profit organization highlighted for three months gave more time for us to tell their story, raise funds for their organization and raise awareness for what they do for our community. Instead of randomly selecting these organizations, we allow them to apply for the program and we select 8-10 organizations to come and present to our team letting us know what their organization does, what the funds would be used for and how we could best work with them to help their organization. Our management team then picks the causes that we would like to support. It is by no means an easy task as there are so many wonderful non-profit organizations in our community. We select our causes at the end of each calendar year for the next year. Once selected, we assign them to a quarter, and meet with them to discuss how we can best tell their story. In addition to receiving funding from our monthly cause latte sales, we utilize our social media platforms to tell our followers about the organization. We also partner with them for one action project during their quarter.
Our Kindness is the Cause program is a great way for community members to give back in a unique way and we absolutely love learning more about our causes and helping tell their stories. Also, the monthly cause drinks are some of our guests favorite menu items that they look forward to seeing each year. The fact that they get to support a great cause while enjoying a great drink is just the icing on the cake!
Maverick Boys & Girls Club
Located just outside downtown Amarillo, Texas, Another Chance House was founded in 1988 by Father Aram Berard. Berard was part of a larger urban-renewal effort that was taking place in Amarillo in the mid-1980’s. These several blocks that include Another Chance House (ACH) were a blight on our community; crime, drugs, and hopelessness shrouded this area of Amarillo called “The Flats”.
In 1998, the Main House became the entry point for their Shelter Program and the Board of ACH began to acquire additional properties in the immediate area. These additions allowed ACH to expand to a tiered program offering shelter, transitional, and long-term living options. By 2010, ACH was contracting with the Veterans Administration to provide both shelter and transitional services to homeless or at-risk veterans in addition to other homeless men.
From a single dwelling in 1988, ACH has grown to 18 properties today – transforming this once drug-infested neighborhood into a haven of hope and self-respect for homeless men. The circumstances, consequences, and paths to recovery for each resident are as unique they are. ACH provides supportive services that encourage men to overcome addiction; repay outstanding legal or social obligations; find employment and learn to live successfully with others.
