Dons Net Café: An Inspiring Example of Community Service

This piece was submitted by Gutsy reader, Marissa Roberson. If you have an inspiring story to tell, we want to hear it. Tell us here. 

Dons Net Café is a self-sustaining student run social entrepreneurial business located at Santa Barbara High School. Throughout the years, Dons Net Café has mastered the art of service learning and giving back to the community. The fact that this business is operated in a classroom has created many challenges, but school regulations and spatial restrictions have not stopped the Dons from creating opportunities from weaknesses. These determined entrepreneurs have evolved to meet the needs of their customers and community, all while abiding district policies.

Dons Net Cafe has three major product sectors: food/beverage, customized products, and community service. All profits from the infamous school 'snack shack' and customized products directly benefit the Dons Net Cafe's communtiy service commitments, such as it's own Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program (sponsored by United Way), for which IRS certified Dons Net Cafe employees prepare a yearly average of 600 tax returns. Even a student-employee teaches volunteers about tax preparation and efiles all returns. This year, the Internal Revenue Service deems the Dons Net Cafe VITA site as the "best volunteer tax site in the nation." Some other community service based activities are the eco-cell program, street/beach clean ups, and many more, all completely coordinated and operated by Dons Net Cafe employees. As such, the Dons Net Cafe's slogan is "Doin' Some Good in the World!"

Because of the Dons Net Cafe's tremendous community service efforts, it has become closely partnered with top non-profit organizations. One such organization is that of the Do Ubuntu bracelet campaign, which supports mothers and orphans in South Africa suffering from HIV/AIDS, through the distribution of bracelets they craft themselves. Dons Net Cafe sells these bracelets and send all proceeds directly to the suffering women and orphans. Dons Net Cafe is also eco-conscious aside from being philanthropic; last year Dons Net Cafe became partnered with Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. This year the Dons Net Cafe became partnered with XS Project, an fair trade organization that manufactures bags made out of recycled billboard and non-recyclable plastics which are collected by trash pickers in Jakarta, Indonesia. The trash is cleaned and refurbished into every day use bags, and sold to help support the trash pickers and their families. 

As a Virtual Enterprise/Regional Occupational Program business class (that is also a completely "real" business) Dons Net Cafe also attends various trade fairs and business competitions. Last year, the DNC won second place out of three hundred schools at the California State Business Plan Competition. The Dons then went on to win seventh place at the National Merrill-Lynch Business Plan Compettion at Microsoft Offices, New York.

Overall, the Dons Net Cafe is a powerhouse of service-learning, youth empowerment, and educational excellence. Dons Net Cafe is located at Santa Barbara High School, Room 22 (700 E Anapamu St., Santa Barbara CA, 93103). (805) 963-8597; sbdons@hotmail.com.