FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
CREATING BRAINWASHED COFFEE
Fordham Prep English teacher Bill Magner started Brainwashed Coffee to help support people recovering from addiction . The online shop donates 50 % of its proceeds to St . Vincent ’ s Hospital Westchester and Pro Recovery Power .
AND SERVING THE COMMUNITY
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T WAS MAY 2020 , about two months into the pandemic , and Prep English teacher Bill Magner was beginning to feel restless .
The uncertainty during the lockdown left many , including Magner , searching for a way to help those in their community . While on a run with his girlfriend ( now wife ), the seeds of Brainwashed Coffee were sowed .
“ We were just kind of chatting about how to help others and how we can get more involved on a deeper level of commitment to service in our lives ,” Magner recalled . The rise in overdoses during the pandemic led the couple to realize that many of those trying to overcome addiction need money for their support and recovery .
According to the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ), over 97,000 people died of overdoses from May 2020 – May 2021 . “ Drug use and drug overdose onsets have been insane and really led to a huge need for support in the recovery world ,” Magner noted . The cost for support , including but not limited to rehabilitation , treatment ,
PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING . THE PANDEMIC REALLY EXACERBATED THE NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT .”
– Bill Magner
and follow-up services , is not affordable for all — especially during a pandemic with little job security .
Drawing from his experience helping people in the past , he launched Brainwashed Coffee — an online shop that donates 50 % of all proceeds to support addiction recovery , in October of 2020 .
Magner was surprised to find how many people were responsive to his ideas via email from the beginning . “ I learned about coffee production and this idea of what drop shipping is for delivering services . I started going down this rabbit hole and making all these connections ,” he recalls . He soon discovered a drop shipping company in his town as well as a one-stop-shop firm whose specific niche is logo and label creation , copywriting , web design , and brand packaging for food and beverage startups . “ It was like this serendipitous , Divine Providence , you know ?” he laughed .
Brainwashed Coffee currently partners with St . Vincent ’ s Hospital Westchester , which has additional locations in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens , as well as Pro Recovery Power in California . The latter organization ’ s remote Zoom support sessions and guidance via Instagram Live can essentially be accessed by anyone anywhere .
“ Pro Recovery Power was a company that I connected with that has a national reach . I was trying to do local [ support ] but thought , ‘ Where ’ s the national base ?’ Our Instagram marketing has a national reach as well , so we ’ re trying to support people not just locally , but nationally ,” Magner stated .
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FORDHAM PREP RAMVIEW