Christy’s Corner and Georgette’s Dedicated to Employing People of all Abilities

If you’ve been to Uptown Maumee, chances are you’ve seen Georgette’s Grounds & Gifts. Part coffee house, café, and gift shop, the business has a lot to offer. Locally roasted and packaged coffee in a large variety of flavors and intensity are available for purchase, either in beverage or bean form. Fresh, local produce is used to create a delightful breakfast and lunch menu, and the choice of sweet treats is difficult to pass up. Then there is the gift shop that invites visitors to admire artisan originals. 

This alone would make it a local gem, but it’s their staff that truly makes this establishment stand out. Georgette’s is part of Sunshine Community’s supported employment program for their residents with developmental delays, disabilities, and other conditions. The name comes from Georgette Engler who, along with her husband Roy, founded Sunshine in 1950 to supply a loving environment to those who would have been traditionally institutionalized. It is her face that graces Georgette’s logo.  

Their coffee is packaged by other residents of Sunshine Communities in their packaging plant, which is also the original home of Georgette and Roy Engler. 

It isn’t only our local community that benefits from what Georgette’s has to offer. Coffee beans are bought from farmers in developing countries, the business promotes sustainability, and it supports others with developmental delays. Oh, and it’s locally roasted, too!

But they aren’t the only ones.

Christy’s Corner Café

On the corner of Toledo and Rice St. in the small town of Elmore, Ohio, a charming café resides; Christy’s Corner Café, the first business to open sponsored by Engaging Opportunities Foundation (EOF), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit. 

The Café was named in honor of Christine “Christy” Bosch, sister to a founding member of EOF, who had Down Syndrome. With love, encouragement, and support, Christy led a fulfilling life; her passing in 2011 inspired the creation of EOF “to provide opportunities for teens and adults with special needs just like others provided for Christy,” per their website. 

The Café, as with Georgette’s, serves coffee, breakfast, lunch and — of course — the sweetest of treats! Their coffee, “Christy’s Blend,” is locally roasted by Master Roaster Stephen Beam, owner of BrickHouse Roastery in Perrysburg, which is also ethically sourced. They are also one of the chosen charities for the 2022 Dana Open!

Not only do they provide employment, job training, and life skills for those with visible disabilities, but also for those with hidden ones, such as anxiety and traumatic brain injuries.

EOF is also looking for businesses to partner with. If you are interested in a business partnership, click here!

“We hope to seek out partnerships with local businesses that would increase employment opportunities in various fields for our special needs students and staff,” they point out on the EOF website. “Businesses could provide us with specific skills needed to obtain employment; we in turn would incorporate cited skill sets into our training.  Our hope is that our students/staff could eventually become employed in a field that they enjoy.”

While these two businesses are independent of each other, and operate in separate counties, they share a common mission: to create community, equity, and independence for everyone in Northwest Ohio.

To learn more about Sunshine Communities, click here, or to donate, click here.