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Partnership Would Give Employment Opportunities For People With Disabilities

The more than 1,400 square-foot facility at 690 Trade St. in Winston-Salem would house the coffee shop. The business would employ a little over 20 people with disabilities. Photo courtesy Moji Coffee and More

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education is meeting Tuesday night to discuss a new partnership. The proposal could provide job opportunities for students and adults with disabilities.

A group of Forsyth County residents wants to start a new coffee shop on Trade Street in Winston-Salem. District officials are working on leasing details for the property, which is attached to the Downtown School.

The shop would be called Moji Coffee and More. Organizers say it would employ students and adults with disabilities in the community. It's inspired by a similar business in Wilmington called Bitty and Beau's Coffee.

“This is really exciting,” says Daryl Walker, assistant superintendent of operations for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. “I think it's a great opportunity for students and adults to create opportunities that build self esteem and a sense of inclusiveness in our community and be part of the economic development plan of our county.”

Artwork created by students and adults with disabilities would also be displayed in the coffee shop.

Supporters have created a fundraising campaign to help jumpstart the project.

If the county school board approves a leasing deal, operators say it would open in late spring or early summer.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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