Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Franks
Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Happy Brew Cafe idea brewed out of Southside Student involvement in the Missing Voices Project through Flagler College. As we listened to families, we learned that students with Intellectual or Developmental Differences (IDD) needed a place of community after high school.
What began as a club – we quickly learned that many wanted employment after high school and graduating seniors with an IDD faced an 80% unemployment rate. Thus an idea began to create a welcoming space where we could be in community together, and what better place than a cafe’ universally designed for all abilities!
The design of the accessibility-first cafe was intentional to include wheelchair accessible parking, no step entry with wide automatic doors, adjustable table heights, wheelchair-accomodating counters, sensory corner with headphones, adult size changing table in the automatic door bathroom and so much more!
Our desire goes beyond paid employment for individuals of all abilities. We desire to grow our internship program and support local businesses with the same vision by selling their products, displaying art on the walls, and providing space for conferences in our two spacious meeting rooms. We are committed to offer dignifying employment and a delightful customer experience to people of all abilities.
Our non profit coffee shop is a destination for others with special needs and their families. We desire to create a community of acceptance and joy – where abilities and friendship grow one cup of coffee and conversation at a time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth? Haha.
It has been a privilege of bringing on over 20 employees this first year with varying gifts and abilities, however, there have been plenty of challenges along the way. Learning transportation needs, health issues, care giver restrictions and more have caused us to creatively think how to run the coffee shop and meet the customer demands. At Happy Brew, it is not about showcasing the best, but celebrating each employee and the gifts they bring to enhance the community and make the coffee shop feel welcoming.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am just a volunteer at Happy Brew! I like to call myself the Chief Sipper of Coffee. As the Executive Director of Happy Brew, we have learned how to set up a nonprofit, hire employees of all abilities, listen to the needs of families and connect the community.
I have a back ground in health administration and spent the last 15 years working as a youth director at church. Everyone on the board at Happy Brew brings critical skills to a start up non-profit and we lean on each other in support.
Any big plans?
Happy Brew is in Phase 3 of the build out and looks forward to even better ways to connect with the community and create jobs. Our next Phase includes an outdoor venue for students with IDD to have a creative space for music and the arts. In addition, we see it as a way to create more ways for the neighborhood to connect through outdoor concerts, movie nights and more.
In addition, we are growing our meeting space rentals that are available for companies to rent during the week. What if every business that came in and rented a space met our employees and considered carving out a job in their company for someone with an IDD? With the unemployment rate for people with a disability at 80% – we see Happy Brew as a connector with businesses to see the gift of other abilities enhancing their workforce!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.happybrew.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happybrewjax
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happybrewjax
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@happybrewjax
