Four years after founding the nonprofit and holding a kickoff event, Gerry’s Cafe backers have secured space in Arlington Heights for a coffee shop that employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities .
Brewing Opportunities, a 501(c)(3) organization, has signed a lease for its first cafe at 1802 N. Arlington Heights Road. This location was a former Starbucks location just south of the Palatine Road intersection. Renovations are underway and the hiring and training process will begin in the new year ahead of a planned spring opening.
This is a concept they hope to expand to other suburbs in the future.
Natalie Griffin, who worked with Amy Philpott to found the charity and raise much-needed startup funding, said: “We’re so excited to take the next step. We got in there with our contractors, we got in there with that hammer, we bought the freezers, the refrigerators, the ovens, we actually worked on the training program and that all.”
“I think it’s great that Arlington Heights has this.”
A former special education teacher, Griffin saw a need for companies to hire adults with special needs over the age of 22, who are experiencing high unemployment, she said. rice field. Her inspiration was a café in Wilmington, North Carolina that employed people with developmental disabilities.
Griffin drew on the small business expertise of Philpot, former president of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce and former owner of the Tuscan Market & Wine Shop.
At the same time, Philpot told Griffin about his personal connections with people with disabilities. Her aunt, Geralynn Wehrmer, was born with Down syndrome in 1958 and died just before Philpot’s fourth birthday.
The cafe was named after what Aunt Jerry used to call it affectionately.
After holding a launch party at Tuscan Market in December 2018 and a series of successful fundraising efforts, the organizers thought the café was ready to open in early 2020. fundraising or major activity.
With the help of commercial real estate broker George Frigelis, we finally restarted our search for a location, considering both the north and south sides of Arlington Heights, while avoiding the high-rent, parking-challenging downtown.
The previous Starbucks seemed a perfect fit, with the electrical system already in place. increase.
The menu includes yogurt parfaits, freshly baked cookies, muffins, egg sandwiches, salads and wraps. The cafe also offers catering.
The strategy teams at Northwest Suburban High School District 214, Palatine Schaumburg High School District 211, and Clearbrook (a non-profit organization in Arlington Heights that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities) have identified job openings posted in the next couple of I am working on an application. A few months on gerryscafe.org. A separate panel of former HR professionals from Allstate and other companies will interview about 40 people, Griffin said.
Then begins the training process for occupations such as cashiers, sous chefs, baristas and greeters.
“We just want them to shine and our community to know how talented, how valuable these individuals are, and how they can contribute,” said Griffin. . “That’s our main mission here… community engagement. And many of our typical day-to-day interactions don’t happen with people with disabilities. Just do it.”
