Costa Foundation Recognises Outstanding Roadchef Team Member
Costa Foundation recognises outstanding Roadchef team member with a trip to Vietnam
Mike Jackson, from Lancashire, whose role is Director of Supply Chain Management & Head of Charity at Roadchef, a corporate partner of Costa Coffee, was chosen to visit and experience the work the Costa Foundation do in Vietnam to help support and educate coffee growing communities.
Mike, 63, has been working for Roadchef, which operates 53 Costa Coffee stores across the United Kingdom’s motorway services, for over thirteen years, looking after purchasing, supply chain and charity. However, earlier this year, Mike’s role changed to focus on Roadchefs' sustainability and charity work, as he took on the role of Head of ESG.
Mike is a passionate fundraiser for the Costa Foundation and was recognised for this once in a lifetime opportunity on behalf of his amazing team. Collectively the Roadchef Costa Coffee stores have helped raise over £5,000 for the charity over the past five years in-store and through fundraising events including participating in the Lyke Wake walk, climbing Kilimanjaro and completing the Yorkshire, National and Welsh Three Peaks.
On the 12th of March 2023, Mike and the team embarked on a five-day visit of the Costa Foundation’s work in Vietnam. As part of the trip, the group visited nursey schools in the Dak Lak provenience of central Vietnam, meeting both children, parents of the children and teachers at schools that have been built by the Costa Foundation over the past five years.
The group also attended the opening ceremonies of some of the newest schools to be built by the Costa Foundation across Vietnam. The visits highlighted the difference that the charity is making to improve access to education for children across coffee growing regions.
Speaking about the trip, Mike said: “Visiting Vietnam and seeing the amazing work of the Costa Foundation and meeting the children was an incredible experience. I feel truly privileged to have been chosen for this trip and to be able to see how our hard work over the years is helping children in Vietnam.
“Education is one of the greatest gifts you can give to someone, as it gives people hope and the opportunity to achieve great things in life. I am proud to support the Costa Foundation which is making a positive contribution to coffee growing communities globally, giving the children the start they need in their young lives. This visit has inspired me to fundraise even more!”
The Costa Foundation was established in 2007, with the aim of improving the life chances of children in coffee growing communities by helping them access a safe, quality education. In Vietnam, children need to be able to speak Kinh, Vietnam’s national language, to access primary education. The Costa Foundation funds nursery schools in these remote areas to ensure children can learn Kinh from an early age and benefit from full schooling.
Over the last 16 years The Costa Foundation has supported twenty-four nursery schools in Vietnam to date, with a 100% record of accomplishment of children leaving with the ability to speak Kinh.
In 2022 alone, they completed five new schools and ten schools' expansions, with six new schools under construction across the world’s coffee growing regions. Additionally, two new programmes of work also started in Zambia and Ethiopia. For 2023, seven new schools are planned to be completed across Ethiopia, Colombia, and Peru, whilst adding extra facilities and expanding six schools across Uganda, Zambia, and Ethiopia.
John English, Community Manager at Costa Coffee, who also took part in the special visit said: “The Costa Foundation exists to help provide a safe and quality education for children in coffee growing communities. An amazing total of £1.2 million was raised for the charity in 2022, which was made up of a combination of corporate donations, donations from product sales, and in-store fundraising activities – such as Mike’s.
“We are honoured to have been able to acknowledge the achievements and hard work of our twelve Costa Coffee’s team members by taking them on an unforgettable trip to Vietnam, where they first-hand saw the difference that them, their stores and their communities are making.”
For more information on The Costa Foundation, or to donate, visit here: https://www.costafoundation.com/