Published October 9, 2024

When Gerry’s Café celebrated its first anniversary in August, it represented a dream come true for Natalie Griffin—and for the 40 people, including 15 District 214 graduates, who work for her at Gerry’s.

Griffin and partner Amy Philpott opened Gerry’s as not only a café and gathering place for the Arlington Heights community, but also as a place where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can find meaningful employment. 

Griffin, a former special education teacher, had long been frustrated by the lack of opportunities for her students once they left high school. “Like any high school teacher, I worked really hard to get my students ready for the next step. I would prep my students about internships, interviews, banking, money management—preparing them for the next phase of their lives. They were ready,” she said. “But what I observed was that no businesses were hiring these young people.” She quotes statistics showing that nationally, 80% of people with disabilities are not working.

Back in 2017, Griffin came across a Facebook page for a North Carolina coffee shop whose mission was to provide job opportunities for these adults. “I couldn’t get it out of my head,” she said. She took a trip to see the shop and meet the owners and employees, and came back fired up about the idea. She found a partner—Philpott, an experienced business and foodservice professional—formed a nonprofit organization and a board of directors, and started fundraising with hopes of opening a similar café in Arlington Heights.

The pandemic slowed them down, but finally in 2022 Griffin and Philpott found a former coffee shop location and started working in earnest. Gerry’s opened in August 2023.

Gerry’s offers handmade hot and cold beverages, from-scratch pastries and a menu of sandwiches and salads for lunch. Some 37 of the 40 staff members—from baristas to cashiers, bakers to dishwashers—are adults 22 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities; there is a waiting list of interested job-seekers.

Griffin said Gerry’s is working to expand its catering business, and has heard from other Chicagoland communities interested in helping set up a café of their own. “We’re looking to grow the business and offer more job opportunities,” she said.

In addition to the D214 graduates on staff, Specialized Schools principal Valerie Norris sits on the Gerry’s board of directors, and the café’s 39 volunteer helpers include a group of retired teachers from District 214 and other local schools.

"I am so proud to be a part of Gerry's Cafe, and hope that it is a model for other employers to see that people with intellectual disabilities have so much to offer in the workplace,” Norris said.

For Griffin, Gerry’s has been a personal success. “I have had a passion to serve this population. I wanted more opportunities for different types of jobs for them. Don’t we all deserve that?” she said. “With Gerry’s, I also wanted awareness. People don’t realize how many adults with disabilities live in our community.

“Now when I go into the café, I cannot stop smiling. There is so much joy there. Gerry’s has given these people with disabilities a chance to shine.”