FOWLERVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A small cafe in Fowlerville is making a big difference by training adults with disabilities for real-world jobs, giving them the skills, confidence, and experience they need to enter the workforce.
Watch Meghan Daniels' video report:
Inside Torch 180 Cafe and Coffee Bar, students are learning much more than how to make coffee or stock shelves. They're practicing customer service, time management, and the soft skills needed to succeed on the job.
"So far, it's just been very amazing. I'm truly blessed to be a part of this opportunity and serve this community," Mikayla Guy said.
Guy is one of several students training at Torch 180, a program designed to help adults with disabilities build confidence before entering the workforce. She's already dreaming big about starting her own retail business.
She's not alone in her entrepreneurial aspirations. Nathan Fessler, another student in the program, wants to start a crocheting business where he can learn to make different items and sell them.
The program was founded by Rhonda Callahan, who says the mission is about much more than job training.
"If they don't have some kind of help with their soft skills and even calming down and gaining self-confidence before they actually go into a real job, another job, then they're way less successful," Callahan said.
Instead of rushing students into the workforce, Torch 180 gives them time to practice, build skills, and believe in themselves.
"The adult world is so different, and it takes time to work through those things, and so that's the equity that we're giving them. We're giving them lots of time to practice and lots of time to develop," Callahan said.
Because the coffee shop is so successful, Callahan is expanding the program to include a retail space in the heart of Fowlerville called Torch 180 Corner Shoppes.
The goal is independence. Callahan hopes to expand their services even further by turning the space into a training area for independent living.
"We would like to turn that into a training area for independent living because when you start making money, and you start to realize, oh my gosh, could I move out sometimes, that's really scary," Callahan said.
Support from community members and partners like Lake Trust Credit Union is helping to make that expansion possible.
"It's inclusive and it also creates a world where everyone thrives, regardless of disadvantages or disabilities," said Rhonda Romsek from Lake Trust Credit Union.
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