Community Cafe Curates Confidence at Congers Lake

Congers Lake Memorial Park welcomed a new Community Cafe last Friday, June 5th at the bustling local park, which hosts over half a million visitors every year. Packed with snacks and coffee and staffed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the initiative was thanks to the efforts of the Executive Director of the non-profit Rockland Community Services (RCS) Donna Ehrenberg, who has been a fierce advocate for disability rights for the past 20 years.

Ehrenberg started RCS about eight years ago, after seeing firsthand how opportunities have been limited for individuals with disabilities. “I have a daughter with autism and children with mental health issues, so it was really important to me. I do not take any money from my not-for-profit, but I wanted a board to be a part of it. It’s all parents, and we always look for more people on our board that could help the mission,” Ehrenberg said. RCS is a transition specialist organization for North Rockland and Clarkstown schools who help special needs students transition to life after high school. “Every person that has graduated this year has a placement… we help get eligibility for kids with Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and you walk in, it’s free, and we are here.”

As part of her work to show that people of all abilities can contribute to a community, Donna  began the Community Cafe. She shared that visitors to the cafe “…have been so kind and receptive. We’re really hoping that people will see that [disabled] people have skills, and to connect with other businesses that could see that people [of all abilities] can get jobs.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, adults with disabilities face significant disparities in the labor market, with an overall employment-to-population ratio of roughly 23%, compared to over 65% for those without disabilities.

When Ehrenberg approached Supervisor Hoehmann looking for ways to employ people with disabilities, he suggested that they turn what was previously being used as a storage shed into a cafe. She stated that the town was supportive of the cafe’s endeavors, even going so far as to pay for signs and donating a TV to the cafe. 

To get the project off the ground, RCS accepted donations from various corporations including Nestle, who gave $1,000 worth of coffee, Coke, who donated cases of soda, and the Leaderman Foundation, who donated an advance for rent. A standout sponsor was YAI, formerly known as the Young Adult Institute. The YAI is an agency for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and they are currently paying the Congers Community Cafe Staff. For some of the individuals, it will be their first ever paycheck.“We don’t take tips here, but if anyone wants to donate the funds go right back towards building up the cafe,” Ehrenberg said. The generosity of community members and companies are what made the opening of Congers Community Cafe possible.

“We’re not looking to make a profit even though it would be nice. As long as we can keep buying and keeping the cafe alive, it’s really about showing individuals that people with disabilities can live a life they should, getting a job, earning a living, and having purpose,” Ehrenberg said.

The cafe will also feature goods made by people with disabilities, including Jarred and Kyle. Jarred had his artwork hanging, and a coloring book for sale. Kyle is on the autism spectrum, and he takes broken crayons, melts them into various molds and sells them all over the country. “We want this place to be a highlight of what people can contribute,” Ehrenberg said. 

Supervisor Hoehmann, Councilman Bob Axelrod, Councilman Mike Graziano, Deputy Supervisor and Chief of Staff Al Moroni, and John Mulgrew, who represented State Senator Bill Weber, were all in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

Hoehmann, whose children went to school with Ehrenberg, said,  “We’re delighted to have helped provide a place where people with all abilities and skills can thrive in the workforce.” 

John Mulgrew, Chief of Staff at the Senator’s office, lives in the area and stated that he is a frequent visitor of the Congers Lake Memorial Park. Mulgrew said, “We’ve partnered quite a bit with Donna Ehrenberg and Rockland Community Services in the past, they do great work teaching vocational skills to people with disabilities. It’s a wonderful undertaking… and a meaningful addition to the community.” 

All the staff at Congers Community Cafe received certificates from the town recognizing their hard work. Recipients were John Luca Provenzano, Nicole Traslavina, Steven Olivier, Brook Donohue, Leah Ehrenberg, Andrew Needleman, Riley McCann, and Christopher Nicolaides.

The staff were excited for their jobs and proud to wear their Congers Community Cafe shirts. Christopher Nicolaides, employee, said, “I love working with people and meeting people.” He had worked in the same building for some time before, when it was called the Independence Cafe through Bridges. Nicolaides said, “I’m happy to have my job back.”

There were also potential staff in the crowd scoping out the spot. John Rorro recently graduated from Syracuse with a Sports Management degree, and is looking to apply this summer. Rorro said, “It’s great to work with friends because we can be silly, but we also know when it’s time to be professional.”

Leslie Handler, a retired Special Education teacher who has lived in Congers for over ten years, said that Ehrenberg was the hardest working person that she knew. “I’ve never met anybody who has more of a commitment to her values and her mission, and what she believed in. [Ehrenberg] will do anything necessary to help any family, I’ve seen it year after year. She doesn’t give up.” 

Regina Cunningham, a Congers resident, saw the flier on Facebook and decided to come and support the cause. “I have a family member that has disabilities, so it’s really good to see everybody coming out for this cause.”

Yvette Amoros of Pomona has a son who has disabilities, and shared that she felt that the cafe “…is a nice way of having them actually prepare for work… Getting them out there to meet other people, to feel good about themselves, and not to feel like they’re ‘special needs.’” 

As of now, the cafe will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to Ehrenberg, however, this may change. “On the first day, the staff was really nervous. But now, they’re like, ‘Donna, I think we should stay open longer!’” Iced coffee, hot coffee, snacks and ice cream are stocked and ready for summer, and the building will be open for the entirety of the year. Stop by the Congers Community Cafe at Congers Lake and support the efforts of RCS and encourage the vocational skills for individuals with disabilities.