Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia announced that it has awarded a grant of $75,000 from its unrestricted Community Catalyst Funds to LovABLE Services, Inc. to support its efforts in the completion of their comprehensive training program as well as the opening of their job site, Chris’s Coffee & Custard.
The unique shop will offer gainful and meaningful employment for individuals of all walks of life, focusing on those with special abilities. The shop will have on-site support staff who will provide assistance, training, and supervision in the day-to-day operations and help bridge the gap between the community and those with special abilities who are integrating themselves in the workplace and everyday life.
“At Chris’s Coffee & Custard, our most significant goal is to make a change in a person’s life. A majority of the shop’s employees will have special God given gifts, talents, and abilities. We are advocates for the value, inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual, development, and physical disabilities and will show them that they deserve the same opportunities as other people in our community”, said Beth Woodrum, Executive Director of LovABLE Services.
“Supporting organizations that provide services to individuals with special needs is one of the Foundation’s priority focus areas, and we are thrilled to be in a position to support LovABLE Services with this endeavor,” says Michelle Eberly, Director of Grants & Donor Engagement, “Our unrestricted funds play a crucial role in that they allow us to respond to the ever-changing needs in the community. Beth has done a fantastic job in planning and implementing this project, and we look forward to seeing her vision come to fruition.”
For 30 years, Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia has enabled those who love the community to easily give back. The Foundation currently holds and administers over 330 named endowment funds established by individuals and families for the perpetual benefit of the community.
Individuals interested in establishing their own personal or family legacy through an unrestricted endowment or any of the many other types of endowment funds offered by the community foundation should visit www.cfwesternva.org or call (540) 985-0204.
