- Last season I featured a number of stories
that touched my heart.
One was about the LA LA Land Kind Cafe
in my home state of Texas.
This unique organization hires foster kids who've
aged out of the system and need work.
Since the show, the La La Land Kind Cafe has expanded.
In fact, they have a new cafe in actual La La Land
right here in Los Angeles.
Francois is back to give us the whole update.
So welcome back!
(audience applause) - Hi guys, good to be here.
I actually brought you guys coffee.
- You brought us coffee! That's a way to my heart, man!
- Shaq, I'm disappointed in you.
I heard you don't drink coffee, so here's your orange juice.
(laughter)
- It's supposed to be a secret, I think.
- No, it's all good. - Dan your coffee--
- I love some coffee, gonna put it right here.
- I was actually the second friend he was talking about.
- Yeah, you were the second, he's only got two.
There's only two spots available.
- Now we're all here together.
- We go way back, way back.
And our one enemy.
- Frenemy! At least give me frenemy.
(light chuckle)
Well, welcome to Southern California.
I feel like you finally earned the name
La La Land Kind Cafe, cause it's now in La La Land.
- Thank you, I'm actually from here.
So it's good to be back.
And like you said, we've opened three stores since then.
Two in Dallas, one here.
It's been a while, but more than anything,
we're just really happy to be in LA back where it all
started for me really.
And really seeing the homeless crisis here
and how bad it's getting.
A lot of people don't know that half of all homeless
have came out of foster care.
So for us being back here and seeing everything,
it's cool to be a part of the solution.
- Wow, I did not know that either.
(audience applause)
That's staggering, that statistic.
Well, for people who didn't see last time
can you explain why you employ former foster kids?
- Yeah, Shaq would know a little bit about this.
He did an awesome documentary on it, but
basically if you were to think of me, or you, or any of us
growing up without any family being placed in the system,
18 years of our lives,
going to 15 different homes and schools and being tossed
around, not cared about.
We age out at 18 and the government basically
says, good luck, you're out on the street, right?
So what do most do? It's not a good track, right?
You end up becoming homeless for most.
And for me, after I heard a couple of their stories,
I felt extremely moved.
And the more you dig deeper into what the problem is,
the worse it gets.
And so really we felt our responsibility was to find a
solution for them. And that was job placement for us.
- Absolutely, giving them life skills and job placement.
That's amazing!
So Shaq, as Francois just said, you've
worked with foster kids and you've done the documentary.
So this is close to your heart as well.
- Yeah, very close to my heart.
I love seeing people help those in need
and I commend you for what you're doing.
I'm actually going to Dallas after the show today.
- Oh, nice.
- I'll be sure to check it out, but yes, I commend you.
(audience applause)
- I mean, there wasn't a need to rub it in my face
that you're about to go to Texas, I'm just saying.
I want to go to Texas.
(audience laughter)
Your cafe, Francois, your TikTok channel,
it's gone viral for all these videos, and they're called
drive by kindness videos, right?
- Yes.
- Yeah, so what do you think about that?
I mean, they've caught on like wildfire.
- It has been an insane experience.
So, you know, basically the point of our story
is to spread kindness.
So we practice giving genuine compliments,
telling people we love them.
Pretty crazy stuff, that's out of the usual.
And it was the middle of COVID.
We wanted to spread more kindness and basically do what we
did in our stores out in the community.
- Yeah.
- So we got in the car, started yelling
compliments out the window
and people's reaction was amazing.
We started showing our team what was happening through
video.
So one day our content creator said,
"Let's post it on TikTok," this would be perfect for TikTok.
And I woke up the next morning with millions of views on the
video, just completely in shock.
And we kept creating these videos that ended up,
to this day, now there's 2.5 million followers on TikTok
and over a hundred million views on the video.
(audience applause)
But honestly, Kelly, the most important part of that
goes to show that we thought we were just doing a random,
you know, fun act of kindness that was
very simple and small.
And it proved to us how important those small acts of
kindness are.
You know, just a simple compliment for someone
could really change their entire trajectory for their week.
So we can practice that on a daily basis as human beings.
- Absolutely!
Have y'all ever been yelled at, like in one of your cars?
No one's ever been like, "Shaq!"
No one's ever done that?
- No but if I ever-- - What?!
- No, no, won't happen,
but if I'm ever in my car and I see you,
you know what I'm gonna yell?
- What?
- "Since you been gone!"
(laughter and applause)
I don't believe you fell for that!
- The best call back!
We have one of the employees with us right now.
Everybody say hi to Marcy.
(cheering and applause)
Hi Marcy, oh my gosh, you are so beautiful by the way,
I'll lead with that.
- Thank you.
- So Marcy, you're part of the outreach program,
can you tell us about the kids that you work with?
- I'm the youth director at La La Land Kind Cafe,
and I basically manage all the interns through an eight week
internship program.
And we just teach them the basic skills of
being held accountable, showing up at work on time
and gaining customer service skills.
And most of the foster youths get overwhelmed
because it's such a positive, loving environment,
that they're not used to, you know, that background.
So we just adjust to their needs.
- Absolutely. And those life skills.
I remember you mentioned last time,
just about showing up and having, you know,
being held accountable that kind of stuff
is really helpful for kids that never really
got taught that, or maybe were looked over,
you know, in that area.
Well Francois, is this true?
Marcy came to your attention because of Justin Bieber.
Cause that's random to me.
- Yes, absolutely.
So one of my friends was blowing up my phone saying
"Justin Bieber just highlighted a foster youth,"
which is a massive moment.
So we rushed to the music video.
We pulled it up, his Intentions music video,
where he was highlighting a couple of girls who have been
through a lot in their lives.
And Marcy came up there and shared her story.
And our whole office got goosebumps when we heard it.
At the end of the video, it expressed that Marcy's goal now
is to be an advocate for foster youth.
So all of us in that moment, kind of, were in shock and felt
like this was a destiny moment because we were actually
planning on opening our LA location and she was here.
So our director of operations,
I looked at her and said, "find her."
And she spent two months trying to get in
contact with Marcy.
And the moment that we got in contact and met her,
she was hired.
- Oh my God.
(audience applause)
That's so cool!
I mean, what impresses y'all about this program?
It's super cool.
I find that, I've worked with a program in Nashville
actually, for a few years, they help kids, you know,
that age out of the system as well.
And it's about life skills as well.
Like what do you think about this happening in the
community? And there's a lot of need.
And like you said,
I moved here like 2018 around then,
and there is so much homelessness here.
Like there's a problem in Nashville as well, but it's just,
there's such a need for help, especially for youth,
like you said, and to hear that statistic,
that it's mostly foster kids aging out
and then they have nowhere to go.
It's pretty cool that, you know,
businesses like you and places like you are giving these
people opportunity. Right?
(audience applause)
- When I hear his story just makes me think of one song.
♪ You make me a, you make me a believer, believer ♪
(laughter, cheering and applause)
- Okay, at this point, next time you're my show
you're singing with me.
- Okay.
- You just said yes.
We love everything about the program and what it stands for.
That's why we're giving La La Land Kind Cafe $5,000--
- Oh my God! - to help out.
- Thank you so much!
- We love y'all and welcome to LA, we're so excited!
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you so much, everybody.
I cannot wait to visit the cafe in person. I love coffee.
He can like orange juice. I love coffee, and tea.