Stephanie: How did I get myself into this?

When I first started working for Hang at CT Eye Care, I was closing out a chapter that had shaped me as a young professional. At the time, I had just finished college and my internship, which turned into a job working at Connecticut’s largest nonprofit for people with disabilities in a small center providing inclusive and adaptive sports and fitness... essentially “the step after physical therapy” for individuals with life‑altering diagnoses and a welcoming sports center environment for neurodiverse individuals.

Our facility and mission was one of a kind, and saying goodbye to it was difficult. The mission was so near and dear to me and I knew we were changing people’s lives. But we, like many other nonprofits and businesses, faced sustainability challenges during the global pandemic, which made its closing inevitable. It felt like a door closing on a community that deserved so much more.

And then, Hang opened another door.

She allowed me to grow as a young professional to expand the administrative, professional, and medical skills I had brought from nonprofit work, and to use them in a place that felt like home.

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Working in her office was one of the most valuable chapters in my career. It allowed me to serve the community right in my own hometown and expand my professional skills, which has enabled me to take the next step in my career.

Fast-forward to about a year ago, during one of our random conversations about life and goals, Hang said something that perked my ears up:

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"I want to open one that hire special needs."

And then the bell went off in my head.

Some of the people that I worked with in my time in non-profit and stayed in touch with had mentioned café in central Connecticut called Beanz & Co. with that same mission. They spoke not only about the quality of the food, coffee, and service, but that they employed people just like them.

So I said, “You should check this place out, they are doing it already!”

Since that conversation about a year ago, the momentum hasn't stopped building toward our next steps.

Our team is working together to build something that we share equal passion for. Gathering Beans won’t just be a café. We want to move the dial on employment opportunities for people and to prove what’s possible when workplaces are designed for inclusivity and equitable success for all.