TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. — Many people who visit the Family Recreation Complex in Temple Terrace are there to pump up some muscles, but each weekday another group arrives that’s pumped up to serve.
“There you go, have a good day!” said 19-year-old Nicholas Alston, while handing a receipt to a customer.
Alston and other students from a nearby school-run Focus Café. It’s a place to find snacks of all sorts and service with a smile.
Focus Café workers are from Focus Academy. The public charter school serves students with developmental disabilities.
However, for students completing the 12th grade, there was a need for something more. That’s where Focus Café comes in as a transition program from school to possible jobs.
A job coach works alongside the students to provide support.
“This is a great stepping stone for our students to get a taste of what it’s like to work in a real environment,” said Clayton Clemens from Project Focus, a not-for-profit that supports the school.
