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Katie Jenkins, the owner and executive director of Baton Rouge’s Grace Therapy Center, is opening a coffee shop with a cause on Airline Highway.
Founded in 2021, Grace Therapy Center is a clinic for children with autism and other developmental differences. Jenkins tells Daily Report that her new coffee shop, called Stir, is an extension of her clinic’s mission, as it will provide job opportunities for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The café will operate in tandem with a new nonprofit that Jenkins is launching called Strides, which will offer such individuals job interview coaching and connect them with employers in the Baton Rouge area.
“We were looking at the community and we found that there’s a big gap in employment services and employment opportunities for these individuals,” Jenkins says. “We decided to kind of close that gap.”
According to Jenkins, Stir was inspired by similar ventures that have popped up across the country in recent years, many of which were launched by parents seeking opportunities for their own children with disabilities. The hope is that the coffee shop will build awareness and promote inclusivity through everyday interactions while also giving employees real-world work experience.
Stir’s menu will feature standard coffee shop fare like lattes, teas and pastries. It’ll be located at 15405 Airline Highway, and Jenkins expects to open in the fall.
