New cafe serves greater purpose than your caffeine fix [Video]

PEORIA (25News Now)—This summer, a new cafe at Peoria’s Bicycle Safety Town will serve up inclusion and hope with every cup of coffee.

Last year, the unemployment rate for 16 to 19-year-olds with disabilities was 18%; for those 20 to 24, that rate was nearly 12%.

One summer camp in Peoria hopes to reduce those numbers by teaching high-school students with developmental disabilities skills for the workforce by running a coffee shop.

“One of the things that we noticed is that schools are doing a really amazing job of teaching job skills throughout the school year, but there’s this challenge in the summer when kids regress,” said Katie Van Cleve, executive director for Heart of Illinois Special Recreation Association or HISRA.

HISRA has been serving students in special education for 30 years, and Bicycle Brews was born to set their summer camp students up for success outside of the classroom.

Van Cleve says …