Owners of You, Me, and Bubble Tea, Stacey Beane and Cathy Darling had one major goal in mind when they opened their doors in April 2017: Give back to Oxford.

In the few short months that they’ve been in business, You, Me, and Bubble Tea and its staff have brought more to the Oxford community than a delicious selection of Boba tea drinks– they’ve also brought a steady stream of support to local nonprofit organizations and educational groups.

“We opened You, Me, and Bubble Tea on the idea of solely being a business that gives back to the community,” said Beane. “I think for us, business-wise, (Cathy) and I both have kids that are in the community. We are both members of the community. It’s important for us to teach the community that it’s a good thing to give back.”

As part of this effort, the owners have hosted countless fundraising events for local nonprofit organizations and charities since late spring called “Bubbles for Bucks.”

According to Beane, these ongoing fundraisers provide local organizations and nonprofit groups with a means to raise crucial funds through their business.

“Anybody who comes in and purchases in our store on a specific day, whether it be a drink or merchandise or even a dessert… when you come into the store and make a purchase, at the end of the day, our entire sales, we take 20 percent of the sales and that goes back to the organization. You don’t have to be a tea-drinker. Anybody that purchases that day helps (donate towards the cause),” said Beane.

A Bubbles for Bucks event was held August 17 to benefit the family of Lucy Holt, a local infant who recently had to undergo open heart surgery after she was born with a genetic disorder called Mosaic Trisomy 18. Over $400 was raised towards Lucy’s care and medical expenses through the fundraising event.

Through Bubbles for Bucks events and other fundraisers, the staff at You, Me, and Bubble Tea has raised over $4,000 in total towards local organizations, according to Beane, such as Oxford’s FIRST Lego League, the Oxford High School (OHS) cheer program, the OHS equestrian team, Oxford Pregnancy Center, and the Oxford Schools Early College (OSEC) program.

“We feel that we’re an asset to the community just because we give back to it. It’s not about giving back to us and putting a roof over our head,” Beane added.

On August 24, a Bubbles for Bucks event will be held to benefit the Oxford High School boys’ soccer team. Others will be held in late September to benefit the Oxford chapter of Blessings in a Backpack and the Lakeville Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

According to Beane, they also give back by creating jobs for local youths—jobs which arm them with life skills and experience.

They currently employ 17 people, with the youngest being just14-years-old.

“We wanted a place for kids to be able to go hang out with a safe environment and we also hire some of them. We wanted to teach these kids life skills and provide benefits to people in our community. By doing that, are we a conventional business? Absolutely not. If you’re someone who wants perfect customer service every time you come in the door, you’re not going to get that when we’re teaching 14-, 15-, and 16-year-olds life skills. They’re not perfect. But, we’ve created 17 jobs within the community of Oxford and we’re teaching our employees important life skills,” said Beane.

To learn more about You, Me, and Bubble Tea and its upcoming fundraisers, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/youmeandbubbletea.

To learn about fundraising opportunities available for a charitable cause through the shop, contact Beane or Darling at (248) 572-7633.