Hugs and Financial Advice: Marty's story

Marty misses hugging. “You give someone a hug, and there’s an energy exchange that happens there. If you’re having a bad day, or you’re having a good day, I’m giving you my good energy.” Marty’s positive energy is part of what keeps community members and customers alike coming back to the Austin Capital One Cafe for more. “You know when you go in, it’s gonna be light, it’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna lift up your day,” shares Austin Police senior officer Shelly Borton.

“Pre-COVID, it was a very personal, close interaction—I would hug people. I’m gonna be honest with you, I miss that so much.” Marty shares with a slight catch to his voice. Despite COVID precautions that continue to keep a physical distance between them, Marty still finds ways to share his good energy and engage with the community positively. He attributes that to his parents who he says instilled in him that it’s always important to care about other people.

“If there’s a person I want to have an impact on, that person is Shelly.” Marty shares that beyond her normal duties as a police officer in Austin, Shelly gives so much of herself to the community. She takes extra time out of her day to spend with people to help them recover from homelessness. “If there's a person who’s day that I want to make better, it is 110% Shelly. If she's ever down, if she's ever sad, I want to lift her up, because I know that once I've lifted her up, she's going to be able to do more out there.”

When the community comes to the Cafe, Marty’s focused on how he can lift them up, too. “The conversations are a little bit longer, they’re a little bit more in depth, and I’m not trying to do six other things while I’m trying to have a conversation with you.” Marty shares, “When you walk through this door, you’re my whole world for five minutes.”

“I'm letting you know that I care, what I can do to make your finances better and your life better. But it’s because my mama raised me right—that’s just the truth!”