COLUMBIA – Love Coffee is not your standard coffee shop. It’s a possibility for people with disabilities in mid-Missouri to be independent, make friends and grow professionally.
“All together we have 29 people on staff, 19 of those employees are people with possibly an egghead or earthy disability,” pronounced Love Coffee manager, David Wilson. “We’re anticipating we can emanate an sourroundings to where they feel welcomed.”
Before a cafeteria non-stop full time, government hold a employing celebration to warn a new employees and applaud their accomplishment.
“We told them they were going to a coffee emporium for training and they got off a train one by one… we hold adult signs and had people yelling, screaming, clapping,” Wilson said.
Dozens of people attended a invite-only eventuality to uncover their support and hearten on a new employees.
“I felt like we only won a championship for some kind of sport,” pronounced Tomas Swenson. “I kept revelation other people, ‘Am we dreaming? Is this unequivocally happening?'”
This is Swenson’s second pursuit and he pronounced he’s vehement for a event to be work somewhere that creates an bid to accept people a approach they are.
“Just to know that we can do a pursuit with my boundary and they’re peaceful to take me and see what we can do,” pronounced Swenson. “I’m feeling really desired and really sanctified to know that everybody here is behind a backs.”
Love Coffee does some-more than sell coffee or pastries. It gives people with a disabilities a possibility to be eccentric and make their possess money. Victoria Oleski spends a lot of time volunteering and giving back, though this is her initial job.
“I like to assistance people a lot,” pronounced Oleski. “I only wish to make my relatives proud.”
Holding behind tears, her mom Francesca pronounced she couldn’t be some-more proud. She never suspicion Victoria would have a event to do this kind of job.
“I’m really unapproachable of what she’s accomplished,” she said. “She’s going to accommodate people, be means to consort and offer others.”
Love Coffee is some-more than an event for a employees. It’s an event for a mid-Missouri village to be some-more inclusive.
“To be around other people that also have a disability, we consider it creates them vehement to see that, ‘I’m opposite though I’m also not that different,” Wilson said. “So for a village it tells me that they care, they know people matter and they wish to give back.”
Love Coffee is located during 15 Business Loop 70 East in Columbia and is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday by Saturday.