Hang: How did this all start?

If you’ve read the other pages before this blog, you know the inspiration behind this dream comes from my daughter, Maia. As a mom, I wanted a place where she could belong, feel welcome, and have a support system for the day when we are no longer around. I also wanted a place where her sister, Emmi, can learn kindness, compassion, and appreciate the beauty of individuality.

If you have ever been in my office and seen me standing in front of Amy’s lab, I am usually up to something. For years, every time I stood in that particular corner, I looked at Maia’s photos on the wall and felt inspired by an idea I could not quite name yet. I did not know what it would become, only that something meaningful would grow from it someday.

Through random conversations with Amy and Stephanie over the years, and a dream of a cute local coffee shop filled with all my dead and struggling plants mashed together, the idea of a coffee shop slowly surfaced. Once I started researching, it became clear that a café is actually a wonderful structured work environment. It is a place where Maia and others like her could someday succeed.

One of Maia’s after-school programs had taught her to say, “Welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order?” followed by, “That will be five dollars.” Watching her do that planted a seed. The coffee shop idea slowly grew into something bigger, a space where all abilities could feel comfortable, valued, and included.

When I floated the idea around, Stephanie mentioned a café in Avon where she used to work called Beanz and Co. That is when I really started researching. Almost two years later, in December 2025, while I was still daydreaming and bugging Amy while she worked, I started throwing out ideas about a planetarium, greenhouse, sunroom, coffee, and cute seating with mismatched chairs.

She finally said, “Let's do it.”

That is when everything started rolling.

My first text message was to Stephanie, asking if she would volunteer some time. My second call was to Beth, which is rare because I never call anyone. I remembered the first time Beth met Maia. She had come in as a patient, and after her exam, she asked, “Can I meet Maia?” as Maia happened to be at the office because school was closed. Their interaction was incredibly sweet, and it stayed in my heart. So Beth was next on the list.

Amy was automatically on the team, mostly because I bribed her with space to garden, plant things, and dig in the dirt. And Tammy? Tammy was recruited by Amy with a quick finger point and a, “Make Tammy do it.” That is how Tammy and her entire family became volunteers.

Within twenty-four hours of our first conversation, Amy had already created a draft of our logo. Soon after, we were brainstorming names, and that is how “Gathering Beans” was born.

Since then, all of us have had many sleepless nights, nonstop brainstorming, endless to-do lists, and constant logistics swirling in our heads. We were all complaining that our real jobs were getting in the way of our non-profit :). I will admit, I had one episode of anxiety and self-doubt. I wondered if I really had time for this and if it was too crazy.

But look where we are now, just 2 months. We have accomplished more than I ever imagined, thanks to these incredible board members I somehow convinced to join me. I know challenges are ahead, but I truly believe these wonderful women will help this organization blossom.

I cannot wait for the day when we can all gather around on those colorful, mismatched chairs, donated from random people, sipping locally roasted coffee, served by a special individual in a space built on belonging, kindness, and community.