ROSE ROCK HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOSTS THE 2ND ANNUAL COMMON GROUNDS COFFEE FESTIVAL
The Common Grounds Coffee Festival builds community by bringing people together to support a powerful local cause of building affordable housing, while celebrating the unique blend of culture & commerce that makes Oklahoma so unique.
The second annual Common Grounds Coffee Festival is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Norman. Admission is $10 per person, which includes access to over 60 coffee culture vendors, Loveworks student businesses, artists, musicians, Not Your Average Joe’s VW Van Photo Booth, STEAM activities including a maker-lab presentation from the Pioneer Library System, story times, and student-led, on-location news reporting.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet Habitat staff, board members, volunteers, and homeowners to learn more about their current projects and community impact.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Rose Rock Habitat for Humanity. With community support, the nonprofit has grown from a small community organization, to a county-wide organization, to a regional organization serving families throughout south central Oklahoma by partnering with local businesses and organizations to create a better, fairer, more inclusive community for all our friends and neighbors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to commemorate this milestone with a sweet birthday treat, live demonstrations, and scavenger hunts to learn more about Habitat and coffee. Completion of scavenger hunt activities can earn up to five free raffle tickets into one of several raffles.
“Coffee is very communal,” said Randy Gardner, president, and CEO of Rose Rock Habitat for Humanity. “It’s a conversation piece. That’s what we want this to be about. We want to bring people together to have conversations in the community about what we do to make the place where we live, work, and play a better place for all of us.”
Funds raised through the Common Grounds Coffee Festival will be used to complete three current home builds, break ground on a fourth home in Shawnee, revitalize homes throughout the community; and build wheelchair ramps for veterans and others in need. “We want people to thrive, not just survive,” Gardner said. “We’re there to get families into their first home – and that’s vital because homeownership, we know, is critical to the success of the family. We know that generational wealth is built through homeownership. We know that the prospects of kids going to college or other advanced education opportunities go up, and the prospects for family success go up when they’re in a healthy thriving environment. We know that they build stronger long-term relationships because they’re in an established neighborhood, and we also know that they are more civically engaged.”
After dreaming of and planning for the festival for three years, the 2021 inaugural Common Grounds Coffee Festival was a bigger success than expected. Created to be a one-of-a-kind annual flagship event, it did not disappoint. With over 40 participating vendors, over 1,000 people in attendance, and more than $35,000 raised by the community. This year is expected to be even better!
To purchase tickets to attend the Common Ground Coffee Festival go to https://roserockhabitat.org/coffee/