“We are a coffee shop that employs and empowers individuals with disabilities! We want to change the way people see other people.”
I walked into the Lucky Ones Coffee during training on March 9, 2018. I was immediately embraced with a warm ambience of chatter and found myself face to face with a handsome young man, CJ Haerter. He bore a large, gregarious smile and greeted everyone around him with genuine sincerity. It was easy to see that this vibrant soul was ecstatic about his new position at the newest coffee shop in Park City.
Lucky Ones Coffee was started by Taylor Matkins and Katie Holyfield. Both entrepreneurs had previously worked in adaptive recreation and saw the need for job opportunities for individuals with disabilities… and so it began.
Empowered by the words of Scott Hamilton, “Th e only disability in life is a bad attitude,” the two young minds set out to change the world. Statistics show that 70% of individuals with disabilities are unemployed. Th e sincere founders saw an opportunity to change that statistic and they went to work building a business where they could hire, interact and share life with people in the community with disabilities.
Th e company’s ultimate mission is to employ as many people as possible. Taylor Matkins, one of the founders, remembers the exact moment that drove her to the idea of starting this business. Taylor’s high school soft ball coach, who recognized Taylor’s keen ability to lead, asked her if she would volunteer for the Miracle League baseball team. Taylor remembers, “I showed up so nervous because I had never volunteered to work with people with disabilities before, but within minutes all my hesitations disappeared. I had never experienced a group of individuals that welcomed me in with such open arms and excitement. I came that day to support them and left feeling like the most important person there. I realized that day that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
As a small business, in the opening stages, the company accepts and encourages donors to give so that this meaningful coff ee shop will have the ability to impact our community in a powerful way. Your investment in Lucky Ones Coffee could provide another job opportunity and help them reach the company’s mission of creating fulfi lling jobs for individuals with disabilities, promoting acceptance and building community inclusion.
As they continue to push forward with Lucky Ones Coffee, they are always open to support and innovative ideas.
