Good News Sunday: Arlington Heights coffee shop staffed by people with disabilities opens

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

Gerry’s Cafe — a nonprofit that hired 45 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to staff the shop — has opened in Arlington Heights.

It’s a concept five years in the making, since Natalie Griffin, a former special education teacher, and Amy Philpott, a local business owner, started talking.

“I have been bursting with joy over watching the employees just do their jobs,” Griffin said. “They’re just independent. That was my goal. To see their independence.”

The business is paying minimum wage to its baristas, cashiers, greeters, servers, bakers, chefs and sandwich makers — all of whom are age 22 and older and have special needs. It’s a population that experiences high unemployment; many of the Gerry’s Cafe employees lost their jobs during the pandemic, while others took unpaid internships or were volunteering.

Griffin says many businesses don’t “take a chance” on hiring people with disabilities. It’s actually her and Philpott’s goal for their employees to get hired elsewhere.

“They have aspirations and dreams, and they feel they can do it. They just need that chance,” said Philpott, a real estate agent and one-time Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce board president. “We’re a foundation and a baseline for their chance to introduce them to the general public to say, ‘It can happen.'”

Barista David Ha agrees.

“It’s a blessing to be here, having the chance to serve people in the community,” said Ha.

For the full story, click here.

A Warm Coats for Cool Kids volunteer helps a student select his new coat. Kids get the chance to pick out the coats, gloves and hats they want to wear. – Courtesy of Garry Vaccaro

How Warm Coats for Cool Kids collects, distributes winter wear

This fall will mark the third year Elmhurst-based nonprofit Warm Coats for Cool Kids will distribute new winter coats, hats, and gloves to children in need.

Thanks to donations from DuPage County clubs and organizations, as well as individual donors, Warm Coats for Cool Kids distributed nearly 2,000 coats last year. They are hoping to do even more this year, and to expand their services to other areas.

“I would estimate that we have 40 to 50 people who volunteer to help us with our coat distributions,” co-founder Garry Vaccaro said. “We get individuals and groups who volunteer. Last year our biggest volunteer group was from St. Francis High School in Wheaton.”

The distribution events have had quite the impact on kids in need. Organizers work with school staff to identify children who are most in need of a new winter coat.

According to Vaccaro, Warm Coats’ distribution model includes bringing enough coats to each distribution event so each child has multiple colors and styles from which to choose. Allowing each child to select their coat from a variety of options, with help from a volunteer, is a better experience for the child rather than simply giving them a “handout” coat.

“This allows the children to have selection options so they get a true shopping experience, which adds a level of dignity and pride of ownership for the children,” Vaccaro said.

For the full story, and details on how to help, click here.

Rescued beagles reunite one year later

More than 100 dogs had their day recently as beagles rescued by Anderson Humane from a research facility came together in Elgin for a one-year reunion.

The South Elgin-based shelter hosted “Envigo Beagle Reunion: From Number to Name” at Brilliance Subaru in Elgin. The title refers to numbers tattooed inside the ear of each dog when they were rescued from a research facility last year.

Roughly 4,000 beagles were rescued in late July 2022 by the Humane Society of the United States from Envigo, a breeding and research facility in Virginia. Anderson Humane made two trips to the facility, bringing back 91 and 75 dogs, respectively, in early and late August of last year.

Each dog had a foster home waiting for them when they arrived, and all of them were adopted — many by their foster families.

“I think that it’s great for all the beagles to see their cell mates again,” said Gregory Alfson of Mundelein, who adopted one of the beagles last year.

For the full story, click here.

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