Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Lyon.
Hi Erin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Makenzie Aney is the inspiration behind Kenzie’s Be Cafe. Makenzie or Kenzie was born 13 weeks premature with cerebral palsy. She was the length of a $1 bill and in the hospital for 12 weeks. Today, she is a strong, spunky young woman and has recently graduated from Mona Shores High School.
Erin Lyon, Kenzie’s aunt, has always been inspired by Kenzie’s spirit. Erin owned and operated Jumpin Java in downtown Grand Haven for 9 years.
In March of 2021 she was approached by Bob & Bobbi Sabine about opening up another location on Grand Haven’s east side. Erin saw the potential to give back in this location and immediately set up a meeting with Brody’s Be Cafe. In April, she pitched her idea for a different kind of cafe, to Bob and Bobbi and they were excited and supportive having had a family member who could have benefited from a place like Kenzie’s.
In May 2021, the initial Board was created, the 501(c)(3) paperwork filed, and fundraising kicked off. The original opening date was planned for May 2022, but with Covid in full swing during renovations we ran into supply chain issues and delays due to sickness. We officially moved into our space on October 17, 2022. It was just the managers and our ED that first week. We spent that first week, getting all of the inventory set up, the space cleaned and organized, and preparing to invite our BEristas to their first day of work.
On October 24th we welcomed our first 12 BEristas followed by another group on the 25th. Each set of employees worked two, 3 hours shifts learning how to make drinks, use the register, and getting acquainted with their new work environment. We were not officially open during this time, but if customers came through the doors, we served them. For our work to be successful we need customers to come through the door.
We had our soft launch Monday, October 31, 2022! That first week was so much fun. The butterflies of something new and big that would benefit our entire community had finally started.
Since then we have hired and worked with more than 40 people with disabilities providing more than 24,000 hours of workforce development training and we have just begun!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road. The first year was a good year. But 2024 and 2025 have provided many challenges, mainly financial. Our coffee shop is a training center, it is not a normal coffee shop. We don’t see a future when Kenzie’s will break even through cafe sales alone (although secretly we hope that we will be busy enough to make this happen), the program isn’t set up that way. Payroll is our biggest expense, and our identity. Earlier this year we were in a hard spot and put out a plea to our community for help. We were vulnerable, and people appreciated that. Thanks to two large donations we were able to do a matching campaign that provided more than $47.500! We were also the recipient of our local Tri-Cities Women Who Care organization providing an additional $32.000. Thanks to all of our donors and supporters we are looking to a much brighter 2026!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Kenzie’s Be Cafe is a non-profit organization that provides meaningful employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We strive to help our BEristas gain the necessary skills and confidence to earn a job in our community doing what they are passionate about. There are a couple unique attributes that set Kenzie’s apart from others:
1. We pay a fair wage for on-the-job training. In the state of Michigan employers are able to pay people with disabilities below minimum wage and in some circumstances, pennies on the dollar for the same work as people without disabilities. We believe that people should be paid for the work they do and we make that happen.
2. We provide a safe place for people to learn job skills meeting them where they are. We understand that not everyone learns the same, or learns on the same timeline. We work to set goals with our staff each month and work towards building employable skills at their level while pushing them to go beyond their comfort zone. We allow human potential to shine through helping our BEristas build confidence. We have the ability to take more time in the learning process than other employers may be able to. This is a unique place and we are helping people gain skills that other employers will appreciate.
We are so proud of our BEristas that have left Kenzie’s to pursue other jobs, or that have gained additional employment after working with us. Since we opened 5 people have left to pursue other jobs or school, and 60% of our BEristas have 2nd jobs in our community, with more looking for new opportunities. This next year we will focus on building more relationships with potential employers to help our staff have more opportunities as well as help clear our 40+ person wait list.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
This place would not exist without the help and support of our entire community! First we need to thank everyone who as donated financially, or visited the cafe and spent their money with us. Financial support is critical to keeping us open, and without a giving community we would not be here.
I would love to thank our Board of Directors who works hard to make sure we continue to exist and pushes us to think creatively about how to make Kenzie’s successful. I need to thank the management staff who run the day to day training and programing helping our staff meet their full potential and push them to gain more skill each day. Lastly, and most importantly, we would not be here without the trust and drive of our BEristas. Our BEristas are the reason we are here, but they deserve the biggest thank you. Without them wanting to work, wanting to be a part of a community, wanting to push further in their lives than they have before and believing Kenzie’s was a place for them to do that, we would not be here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kenziesbecafe.org
- Instagram: @kenziesbecafe
- Facebook: @kenziesbecafe
