Ice cream is everyone’s favorite cold, sweet treat. But in Ohio, a family is serving ice cream around the neighborhood with another bit of sweetness to go with it.
This is one story you’ll want to hear.
Meet Joel Wegener. He’s a father of ten,
Two of his children have Down syndrome.
In our generation, more people are aware of the lives of people with special needs.
You could say this generation is a lot more understanding than previous ones, and you might be right.
But there’s still a lot of work to do.
Even now, there are still many more ways to make accommodations for folks with special needs.
“It started out as an idea to sell ice cream,” he said.
“Now it’s so much bigger than that.”
Joel’s two kids, 21-year-old Mary Kate and 18-year-old Josh are finally at working age.
But as we all know, finding work isn’t so easy for people like Mary Kate and Josh.
Many businesses still hesitate to employ people with Down syndrome.
Even when Mary Kate finished Pathways, a program for people with her condition, her father wasn’t too sure if she’d find work.
In fact, when asked what she wanted to do, she replied “I wanna work with papa.”
So began the ice cream business.
According to Joel, the idea just kind of came around.
The idea to start an ice cream business where his kids can work seemed like a simple, great idea.
Joel acquired the truck from a family that also had a member with special needs.
Can you call it a coincidence or fate?
They called the business “Special Neat Treats” as a play on “special needs.”
You can thank his wife for coming up with that one.
Out to the people of Loveland, Ohio, they drove and the customer response was everything they could have hoped for.
People are supportive and welcoming to the family business.
They even run into some special needs families on the way too.
In short, they’re not alone.
When you’re born with such a condition, it can feel comforting to know how many others out there are just like you.
And the truck has been incredibly successful since then. Ice cream sold with a sweet message sells pretty well.
Since opening, they’ve made 5,000 sales to date.
Business has been so good that they’ve been able to get more trucks.
Can you believe that?
Along the way, Joel’s kids have learned things that a lot of other businesses would neglect to teach them.
Things like financial management, planning, and other social skills.
What Joel wants most is for other people with special needs to do as well as Josh and Mary Kate.
If not better.
“No matter what your abilities are, there’s something that you can do and you can spread joy and interact with other people.” Joel added
When it comes to accommodating people with special needs, think of it like serving ice cream.
Some folks have trouble eating out of a cone, so serve them something in a cup instead.
And if someone has a nut allergy, just give them something without nuts.
Click the video below to learn more about this unique ice cream truck!
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Source: WLWT on YouTube, PEOPLE, Today
