A coffee shop in Dallas, Texas, is giving young people who have aged out of the foster care system a place to learn life skills.
About five years ago, Ciara Morton was sent to a foster home after her father sexually abused her when she was just 15-years-old, according to CBS News.
“I try to push it behind me because it happened, I want to move forward,” she said.
Since then, she has become one of the happiest people working behind the counter at the La La Land Kind Cafe, thanks to its life skills program.
“We’re not in the business of coffee — we’re definitely in the business of kindness,” said owner Francois Reihani, who has so far hired nine former foster kids.
The program helps young people learn things like accounting, kitchen skills, customer relations, and social skills, according to its website.
“We are here to set a proper foundation for our youth by teaching them the necessary life and job skills to lead happy lives,” the site read.
The cafe, the sole purpose of which is hiring and mentoring foster youth, has become somewhat of a home for Morton, who said the best part of working there is “having a support system with me.”
“Having people who believe in me — that gives me ambition. It lets me work at my goals and believe in myself. That is my favorite part.”
Even though the mentorship program cuts into his profits, Reihani explained that “there’s a balance in life, right? We have a duty to our society to help the ones who are in need, right?”
The cafe’s website said its mission is “Bettering the world through kindness and socially conscious business,” and he also encouraged others to do the same.
“We believe that success is measured on the positive impact we make on society, not just how much money we make,” the site concluded.
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