Café 54 is a unique employment-training program of Coyote TaskForce, that gives adults recovering from a mental illness, a chance to learn life skills and earn a job at the same time.
The referral-based program teaches the recovering adults how to be restaurant cooks, pastry chefs, cashiers, and dishwashers.
Plus, they gain real-world experience through daily workshops that will help them in everyday life as a more independent and confident person.
The main program goal is for the trainees to be on their way to independent employment in the community.
When they get hired, they leave the program with gratitude.
“They have that sense of accomplishment. They are worth something, a lot of times they don’t feel that. Even though they are, they don’t feel that until they get that job offer. They just need that helping hand," Jeff Grobe, Executive Director.
Café 54's hopes to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness by shifting the focus from disabilities to abilities.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
