Ornery Vets咖啡馆:新的和包容的咖啡馆缝合到雅典的织物，俄亥俄州

 

雅典，俄亥俄州是一个被子，社区里的每个人都是编织在其中的彩色方块. 从本科生和研究生到教授和社区成员, 从具有不同能力的企业主和艺术家到退伍军人和幸存者——我们每个人都是被子里的一块正方形. 俄亥俄州的雅典人拿起了一根缝衣针，把奥纳里兽医咖啡馆织进了那张被子里.

Ornery Vets Café (OVC) will open on Thursday, March 11^th, 2021 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 这家咖啡馆是由一个理解包容重要性的团队创建的——当然, access to delicious soups, 沙拉, 和冰沙.

But how did the cafe’s founders meet? 以及他们如何才能创造出他们想要的温馨环境?

2019年1月, 乔治就读于newbb电子平台，获得创业和消费心理学学士学位. After six years in the Marine Corps, she decided it was time to move home to raise her son, with dreams of one day opening a cafe. When Mercadies described her ideal cafe, 她说, “我希望它成为一个人们去的地方，因为他们选择去，因为它让他们快乐. It makes them feel more connected to people in 雅典.”

麦卡迪斯没想到开咖啡馆的机会来得如此之快. “这么说听起来很老土，不过——整个情况都是偶然发生的，"梅卡迪斯回忆说.

While pursuing her degree, 麦凯迪斯参加了巴顿教育学院汤姆·史蒂文森教授的课程. 当她解释她对开一家社区咖啡馆的热情时，托姆的眼睛睁大了. Thom告诉mercaddies, 就在此时此地, “哇, I think I have a project that you would be a great fit for.” That project was Ornery Vets咖啡馆.

Two days after Mercadies met with Thom, she met with the OVC founding team at Passion Works, which is a community art center founded by Patty Mitchell, where artists with differing abilities create powerful works of art. You can see their artwork all across 雅典, and you may even recognize the 热情的花朵--the official flower of 雅典, OH.

 

 

因为Patty的人生经历和她开激情工作室的经历, she has special talents for creating an inclusive and welcoming space. 在会议上 about OVC, Mercadies met Patty. When Patty creates different spaces, 比如激情作品, 她说, “我们的目的一直是重新构想支持发展差异人群的制度文化.“围绕发育差异人群的一个担忧是，他们往往无法获得健康食品. OVC的, 帕蒂说, “多年来，我们一直在讨论在演播室里为每个来的人提供健康食品.OVC”, just three doors down from Passion Works, 将会是Passion Works的艺术家和雅典社区的其他人获得健康食品的好方法吗.

在会议上, Mercadies also met Joel Laufman, an owner of both the Passion Works building and the OVC building. Joel is a Vietnam veteran and a retired History and Government teacher. After he met Mercadies to discuss the possibility of her leading OVC, Mercadies recalls him telling her, “你知道吗?? 一定是你. We’re gonna get this thing up and running, 一旦搞定，我们就把它交到你手里，它就是你的孩子了.”

Mercadies--honored and shocked by the proposition--agreed. After talking with Mercadies, anyone could see the strength and perseverance she put into life, 日复一日. 对她来说，开一家新公司“有点像海军陆战队——这是一个新的挑战. 这是不同的东西，我做了很多研究，因为这些都慢慢地结合在一起.”

Now, Mercadies is the General Manager of OVC. 然而，从海军陆战队的六年生活适应回家的日常生活是一个挑战.

 

 

As a Vietnam veteran, 乔尔理解梅迪丝在从服役到回国的调整过程中所经历的挑战. 他说, “Even when I looked for help, there wasn’t any… PTSD is not a prison, but it sure feels like you’re doing time.” While he said this, his eyes scanned the cafe, looking out the windows, anticipating and remembering the explosions in the war. 对乔尔来说，开这家咖啡馆将有助于为像他这样患有创伤后应激障碍的人创造一个安全的空间. 我想,他说, “that before I pass on to the happy hunting ground, that I would like to do something for my brother 退伍军人. 就是这样.”

Thom, 太, found himself impacted by war. 他的叔叔参加过越南战争，他的祖父参加过第二次世界大战, both of whom returned with serious injuries. 真让人心碎. 托姆说, “我从来没有服过兵役。, 但我是那个坐在客厅地板上听服役人员分享生活经历的年轻人.”

 

 

每个创始成员都热衷于通过社区和食物打破障碍, whether that be for people with developmental differences, 退伍军人, 或更多的. When creating this space, the founding team wanted more than just a cafe--they wanted an inclusive, 明确遵循《newbb电子》(ADA)的温馨环境.

Knowing that some people cannot walk up the stairs to enter the cafe, the team created a wheelchair-accessible ramp entrance. 所有的门, 太, are wide enough for those in a wheelchair to enter, welcoming all with a vast embrace.

作为一名教授, Thom knew that newbb电子平台 students would be invaluable to creating an accessible space; they, 太, were part of the fabric of 雅典, OH. Thom解释说:“我们正在使用机械工程专业的学生来帮助设计空间中的设备.“靠窗的柜台可以上下升降，这样人们就可以调整柜台，坐在高脚凳上或轮椅上. 咖啡馆里的其他桌子和柜台都是美国残疾人协会规定的高度和宽度，所以任何人都可以坐在那里. 他继续说, “我们有时尚营销专业的学生，他们帮助选择墙壁的颜色，作为他们班级结构的一部分. We had Restaurant, 酒店, and Tourism students help design the menus.”

什么时候去餐厅, 酒店, and Tourism students experimented with the OVC menus, 他们有机会为Passion Works的艺术家提供潜在的菜单项目. The artists then told the students what they liked about the menu. 一位才华各异的艺术家流着泪握着汤姆的手说:“你知道吗? No one has ever asked me what I can have in a smoothie. People typically just tell me what I have to have.”

The Passion Works artists, another square of the 雅典 quilt, 他们还在墙上和橱柜上画了自己的签名壁画，帮助创建了咖啡馆. 帕蒂说, “我们希望有一个Passion Works的存在，并尊重退伍军人的社交空间，让每个人都感到舒适. 我们还想说明，(雅典)是一个交叉的社区，而不是特定于一个群体.”

 

 

 

Because OVC is community-driven, their business plan relies on working together with local restaurants. Zoe’s、Purple Chopsticks等餐厅将为OVC提供当地食材. Mercadies说, “人们已经如此支持我们，这真是一个惊喜……人们已经相信我们会做出改变。.”

几个小时之后, OVC hopes to welcome 退伍军人, 袭击的幸存者, PTSD患者, people with differing abilities, people with addiction, and more for specialized programming. Mercadies explained, “One of the things that we want to do here is let people know: 没关系. There is nothing wrong with you, you’re not broken.”

现在，OVC团队正准备张开双臂欢迎整个社区. 梅凯迪斯继续说道:“我们要做出改变，让人们的生活更美好.” She paused, searching for the right words. ”,, [it’s] such a happy butterfly-in-the-stomach, 你知道, lightning-through-the-veins, 有点事.”

Mercadies, Joel, Thom和Patty将会在3月11日星期四开一家Ornery Vets咖啡馆^th 2021, and say, “Okay, 雅典. 我们在这里.”

遵循 Ornery Vets咖啡馆 在Facebook上. The address is 30 E State Street. They are 3 doors down from Passion Works and across the street from Domino’s. 享受!