Sun Birthday Bean helps education groups

Two things get John Neate’s adrenalin going: Coffee and charity.

Last month, The Vancouver Sun partnered with his company, JJ Bean, to celebrate the newspaper’s 100th birthday. The Vancouver Sun Birthday Bean was created to enjoy with your morning paper ( or just to have a cuppa, whenever).

A portion of sales is donated to two charities — The Vancouver Sun’s Raise- a- Reader family literacy program, and Room To Read, chosen by Neate.

For each $ 15 bag of the coffee sold, $ 2 goes to charity. To date, about $ 1,100 has been raised for each organization.

“We have several weeks to go before we sell out, and I’d say we’ll raise $ 1,200 to $ 1,500 for each charity,” said Neate. “What’s been cool is the numbers of people pleased by the donations.”

Neate is a big supporter of Room To Read, which funds education and literacy

programs for girls in developing countries.

“This one was started by a Microsoft executive who was travelling in Nepal and was shocked at how few books there were.

“He quit Microsoft and started Room To Read. He’s done an amazing job, opening libraries and raising literacy in the Third World.”

Room To Read now operates in 10 countries in Asia and Africa. Neate is an advocate of funding education for girls and women in developing countries.

“[ Women] are the answer for these countries. They’re more reliable and care more about education than the men. If you can get the women into school, they take it seriously and see it as a gift, and it has a huge impact.

“I’m a huge believer that if women are educated, they can change society, but there’s this macho belief that women aren’t capable. That’s what excites me about Room To Read.”

Neate says supplies will likely last until early April.