Agape Community Cafe

Many of you who know me, know that since about the middle of my last semester at Creighton University (Spring, 2011), I have been mulling over the idea of opening a "community cafe" near Creighton's campus (eta: 2 - ? years from now). The going name I have picked out is "Agape Community Cafe" (could be ACC for short, but I would hate for people to confuse it with the Atlantic Coast Conference... the athletic conference Duke is in ).

The idea:

The idea came to me while sitting at a breakout session at a conference called the Young Professionals' Summit in Omaha. The session was supposed to cover what it is that makes up a successful community. Instead, all I witnessed were a few presenters patting Omaha's proverbial back, congratulating us for having already achieved such a wonderful "community". I thoroughly disagreed (not that I think any other American society does it any better!), and so took to mind-wandering of my own. Thus, the idea was born.

The premise:

The basic innovation is this -- every time anyone walks into the cafe, the expectation (of course, not a requirement), is that he/she will meet someone new before leaving... every time. The cafe will feature various methods to encourage this practice, including a wide range of ways to facilitate introductions (games, activities, conversation-starting questions, etc.) and incentives (how would you like $1 off your next visit?.. every time).

I believe that America's society and people truly suffer from our thoroughly developed emphasis on the individual. Here, a quote from The Book of Mev: "In the U.S., my experience of poverty was one of disintegration and isolation of individual people and families." -- Ann Manganaro, who, at the time, had been living and working as a doctor in El Salvador for 5 years, after previously living at a Catholic Worker house in St. Louis.

This quote ties back perfectly to the end of my last post, where I speak of the experience of meeting and conversing with a new individual as the single unit currency of solidarity. America quite possibly may be the poorest country in the world (admittedly, I really have no personal experience to support this claim, but regardless, the point remains).

Further ambitions:

-- With success, I would hope to open more locations, in Omaha, and in other cities.

-- The ultimate hope would be to aid in facilitating increased solidarity between neighboring populations who currently have their backs turned toward each other. The easiest example of this can be seen between Creighton's student body and the primarily African American community neighboring to the north. I don't presume that anyone from either population cares to meet someone from the other. However, I myself never really desired to meet anyone unlike myself, but when I did, I regretted my prior apathy.

Other tidbits:

-- I don't intend on creating a "charity". The purpose is not to "help out the poor community," and every effort will be made to eliminate any perception of inequality or authority within the restaurant. Rather, the purpose is to promote the true development of community, particularly between contrasting populations.

-- Membership cards with programmed personal interests (like the check box list you fill out for StumbleUpon!), so you're only notified about certain events that you have indicated you would be interested in (ex: chess tournaments, pub quizzes, environmental speakers, etc.).

-- Really, REALLY good food (a must!!!). Tossing around the idea of family style portions, or perhaps menu items that lend themselves to being shared (nachos, duh).

-- Lots of local art/music exhibitions.

-- Intentional hiring practices (hiring previously incarcerated or those otherwise unlikely to find stable work).

-- All round tables to encourage interaction, as well as focusing the entire decor/infrastructure of the restaurant towards an appropriate community environment.

-- A gift/goods store portion, selling all kinds of products that are in some way beneficial to the world (environmentally friendly practices, made by local producers, proceeds go to a cause, etc.).

-- Free popcorn sounds enticing, doesn't it? Thank you, Dubliner, for the inspiration! (and seriously, Dubliner, fix your popcorn machine).

Moving forward:

I intend to take the next couple of years to learn as much as I can about business successes and failures (as an auditor for a CPA Firm here in Omaha), and talk to as many people as I can about my idea. I know that I need to be open (and inviting!) to all thoughts and questions in order to give myself the best chance of success. I want to anticipate as many obstacles as I can. Thanks, all of you, for your support, constructive criticism, and love!

Alex

Cleveland Rocks!

The city of Cleveland, Ohio has cemented for itself a special place in my heart.

Growing up, I knew it only as "one of those cities with a professional baseball team!" The Cleveland Indians -- in fact, in those days, they were relevant! One evening, I watched as Albert Belle (slammer extraordinaire) stepped up to the plate. My mom said, "Alex, this guy hits a home run every time he's up to bat." Of course, when he hit a home run in that moment, I believed her (literally)! Well, later in the game, he came up again in the 9th with runners on base and needing to hit a home run to keep his team in the game. When he struck out, I bawled. (And I could no longer trust my own mother! ... Just kidding) :-)

But this is not why I now hold Cleveland dear (and let's be serious, the Atlanta Braves were my team growing up, until, of course, Arizona introduced the Diamondbacks in 1998!)

In the fall semester of 2009, I learned that I would be spending a week in the following March on a service trip with several others in Cleveland. It was then that I learned that Cleveland is on the edge of a lake, a full two day straight shot driving east from Omaha, NE.

I had spent the semester in Ireland, where they informed us "American students" from the very beginning that there were no opportunities for volunteering in the modest (a generous descriptor) town of Limerick. Apparently, American study abroad students often demanded such programs, so the international student coordinators knew to warn us in advance that such opportunities did not in fact exist at this time.

Up until then, I hadn't really considered very seriously the idea of volunteering. It wasn't until I saw the suffering of the poor in the non-campus areas of Limerick that I really felt like I wanted to involve myself in their lives. But rather than try anything on my own, I decided to sign up for the Spring Break Service Trips program back at Creighton for the following semester.

It was the city of Cleveland that gave me the chance to be with the poor. Without really knowing anything at all about what I was about to experience, I proceeded with an open mind (but not without preconceptions). What I experienced was a thorough, albeit protected, immersion with the poor/homeless, accompanied by 8 others from Creighton whom I'd never met.

This is what I learned:

-I learned that the struggles of the poor go largely ignored by the masses of our society, a society built on individualistic and consumer-driven ambitions. (I try to say this without spite, but it isn't easy).

-I learned that each and every individual, no matter the circumstances, cares about his/her life just as much as I care about my own. More importantly... his/her life is absolutely as valuable as my own.

-I learned that there are some men and women who are remarkably dedicated to devoting their lives for the good of others. I needed not to look further than the other members of my own group.

What I learned, though, seems now to be just parts of the greater picture. The greatest consequence of my trip to Cleveland, the most remarkable aspect of its impact on me, is its role as spark.

Cleveland sparked within me a personal revolution. My motivations are changed, my thoughts and my desires are changed, my entire social circle is now fully displaced, and most concretely, my actions are changed. This short paragraph, if expanded upon, would be far too much for one blog entry -- it is my hope that my blog eventually will reveal the full details of this revolution.

My concern is this: If I had not stumbled upon this spark... who would I be today? I don't dare to actually investigate the answer to this question, but I do ask the question for a reason. I fear that the typical American individual lives most of their developing life sheltered from the realities of marginalized peoples, as I had for over 20 years. Most people do not even get the chance to be challenged by this experience! The sad (or perhaps, encouraging?) part is, it usually is of no fault of their own. Our society, in large part, does not foster the practice of integration of social classes.

I believe that this very act -- the act of simply meeting and conversing with anyone who struggles economically, racially, or otherwise -- is a necessary first step to a very healthy and beneficial personal revolution. It is the single unit experience of solidarity.

Consider it a currency. The more "meetings" our society manages to facilitate within itself, particularly between social classes, the richer we shall be.

***

Though I only spent one full week in the city of Cleveland, the name and the memories command as much affection from me as any other place in this world. I pray that others will stumble across a "Cleveland" of their own, and strive to do my part to aid in the effort.

First* Post

Ah, the asterisk. An irreplaceable literary tool which really just says, "There's something more that you should know about what this particular word is supposed to indicate." Well, in this case, it simply means that this post is not really my "First" post. That, of course, would be my solitary entry in October of 2009 while I wasted away (in multiple senses of the phrase) in Ireland on a study abroad semester.

That was nearly 2 years ago. Frankly, I forgot I had a blog. But I thoroughly enjoyed my entry from Ireland (the blog was meant to document my entire experience, which instead can just be summed up by a few remarks... if you're curious, just ask).

But now, in this period of transition in my life, I find myself with time and, thus, a reason to reflect. I hope to make blogging a semi-regular habit. I believe the practice can be concretely beneficial, and hopefully might provide some cents-worth of entertainment for those of you who care to read. There are many times I realize I should have written something down -- lists, trains of thought, music (as in, the notes to music in my head), etc.

Following in the footsteps of my youngest older brother, I'd like to keep my posts focused within themselves individually. I think this option is preferable to the standard "This is what happened to me today..." format. So, I should not stray much further than I already have tonight.

There are many going-on's to cover, but I want to save them for future posts because I am tired and want to give each one the due attention it deserves.