Grand Rapids, Mich., Nov. 2017 – Rising Grinds Café, a new vibrant, community-based social enterprise café that provides job opportunities for young people and residents in the Madison Square neighborhood, will open to the public in mid-November. The café is located at the LINC space on 1167 Madison Ave. and will open one year and one day after the original location at 1530 Madison Ave. was lost in a devastating fire. Rising Grinds Café will serve as a place to empower young adults with employment and training opportunities in the neighborhood through meaningful work and community partnerships. The café is made possible through numerous partnerships, including Bethany Christian Services, Building Bridges Professional Services, Double O Supply and Craftsman, and Tabernacle Community Church, which make up the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation.

“One year ago, the fire (at Rising Grinds Café) was heartbreaking, both for the young people who were designing and building it, and for those who were set to work there,” said Dr. Justin Beene, Founder and Director of the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation. “We have faced and overcome this major setback and now are ready to move forward with the project and be an inspiration in the neighborhood. We have added new partners, a great menu and have created over eight sustainable jobs with this venture.”

The renovated kitchen and eating area, which was completed by neighborhood youth and contractors, will feature furniture provided by Steelcase, a welcoming community atmosphere and free WI-FI. Additionally, the new space will include a renovated outside eating area for the summer months. There will be both a breakfast and lunch menu, and great coffee drinks as a result of the café’s partnership with Ferris Coffee & Nut Co. Rising Grinds Café will provide youth employees with a ServSafe Managerial Certification and an additional customer service and sales credential through the National Retail Federation. Further, the café will work very closely with Bethany Christian Services to provide youth with other support services.

“We are so thankful to all the staff, partners, and community members who have supported us and who have been present with us in our time of loss, encouraging us to get back on our feet to keep this dream alive,” said Beene. “Truly, we are living our name, Rising Grinds, as we rise out of the ashes.”

For more information about The Rising Grinds Café or the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, call 616.254.7736 or visit the website: https://www.grcct.com/about/#partners or www.rgcafe.org

About Bethany Christian Services Bethany Christian Services was founded in 1944 and has grown to 120 branch locations in 25 states. The agency serves approximately 1,200 children annually nationwide in foster care programs and provides services across a continuum of care. Bethany’s mission is to find a loving, permanent home for every child, working to reunite children with their biological families or place children in permanent adoptive homes. For more information, call 1-800-BETHANY or visit bethany.org.

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