MISSION: Build a stronger community through educational and inspirational programming about tea, wine and local community issues.
Our vision for Tea Zaanti has always been about more than just providing the community a reliable and trusted resource for tea. It is about providing a space where people don’t feel intimidated to learn and ask questions, to expand their horizon, to try something new. Tea Zaanti is also a space for people to engage in great conversation with friends new and old. But most importantly, we want Tea Zaanti to be a part of the community, a place that adds value to its neighborhood and, in its own small way, brings the community together and makes it stronger.
Sounds ambitious, I know. Serving and selling great tea and interesting wine is a start, but using the incredible platform we have as a local small business to highlight and educate our community about important local issues is the next step. Shortly after the Black Lives Matter picked up momentum this spring, it was time to stop talking and start acting. We put a call out to our network to ask who might be interested in helping us build the community initiative for Tea Zaanti. Several hands were raised and for the past two months, a small group has met most weeks to define what this could look like as well as using our committee meetings to work on our own education and awareness of local issues.
Every committee member, and most of our clientele, have a passion for tea and/or wine, so it only seemed appropriate that, whatever we do, it should come back to the core that brought us together in the first place. As we talked about where to begin doing outreach and education in our community, we asked ourselves “To what end? What do we hope to accomplish? What would make us feel like the effort had an impact?” Ultimately, the answer is If just one person feels inspired to act, even if that’s simply sharing a message, signing a petition, donating or voting, we will be pleased. And that’s how TWA, Tea Wine Action, was formed. To be clear, when we say Action or Activism, we are simply talking about being inspired to do more in your community – whatever that means for you. It doesn’t mean you have to go create a sign and march on city hall (but you certainly can if you want to), activism can be smaller, more digestible steps that feel authentic to yourself – and most often, that starts with education and awareness.
COVID-19 has put a little damper on our initial launch. We had planned to host in-person ticketed events on a monthly basis, which clearly isn’t the right format at this point time. We’ve revamped our approach to include monthly virtual events in addition to our ongoing personal efforts as a committee. As we build our event calendar, you can be certain each event will have a component that talks about wine, tea (maybe even a tea cocktail) and the bulk of the program will highlight a local non-profit or community organization that is working to improve and better our community. We hope these events will inspire conversation, raise awareness and even raise some additional support for our local organizations.
In addition, TWA will contribute to Tea Zaanti’s social presence with bi-monthly posts focused around steps anyone can take to be an activist in their community or to share important local information. If there is one thing we’ve learned through all the craziness of 2020, people are looking for leadership and someone offering information they can digest and choose to act on if appropriate. Lots of people want to do something, and if a lot of people start doing a little bit more, think about the impact we could make. TWA will also be asking for your input about future initiatives …. And if you are as passionate about tea and wine as we are, there might be some bonus content there for you too. We’re excited (and nervous) to get started, but if you’ve read this far, we are really pleased you want to join us on this adventure. If you choose to follow along with us, those involved with TWA can expect to:
Be part of an exclusive “first to know” list for new teas, wines, and other happenings at Tea Zaanti.
Be the first to receive invitations for monthly events (virtual or in-person) that will always include an educational component around tea and/or wine as well as highlight an important local community group or issue.
Learn ways to be more involved in issues facing our communities.
Be challenged to share your education and knowledge about issues with your own communities.
Have opportunities to influence the future roadmap of Tea Zaanti – new tea and wine requests, special events, hours, etc.
Receive regular tea cocktail recipes to keep you sipping from dusk to dawn.
Propose issues or groups that should be highlighted as part of TWA.
Receive a monthly (or bi-monthly) email newsletter recapping learnings and information from the past month or opportunities in the month ahead.
Ready to be a part? Email us with a quick note to “add me to the TWA email list.”
P.S. Our first event is scheduled for September 17, featuring Meligha Garfield, Director of the Black Cultural Center at the University of Utah and the school’s new commitment to establish the George Floyd Memorial Fund.. Register now!
