Nestled within the walls of local legend Seven Scoops beats a new heart of lightness. It’s called “I’m Possible”, a new breakfast café that might make you rethink why breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
I’m Possible is fueled by special needs. And by special people.
The café is hosted inside the Seven Scoops space, before the Seven Scoops business day begins. It’s the brainchild of Joe and Paulette Rude of Wayne, with inspiration from their son, Garrett. The place is a simple bagel/coffee shop, great for a quick morning pickup on your way to work or a place to hang out for a bit to take in the scene.
Because once you go there, you’ll find that the vibe is one you’ll want to be part of every day.
It’s a place where special needs make it work.
Other than Joe and Paulette, the staff is made up primarily of special needs people, particularly those post-21, outside of most systemic programs. And thanks to them being involved from very early on, they’ve become a tight-knit group of friends, all excited to get to work.
“One of Garrett’s music teachers made up a song of activities that Garrett can do, and it's on one of the shirts. So when the kids stop doing what they're doing and ask ‘what else can I do?’, it’s right there on the t-shirt. They're eager to be busy, which is good,” Joe says, with pride.
“We’re here to celebrate these people,” he explains. “It’s a place where not only Garrett can work, but also his peers, and where we can shine a light on their abilities.”
“On Saturdays, we’ll kind of celebrate the kids’ special talents. Garrett happens to be very involved with music. So he’ll get a chance to do some drumming. There's other kids that are artists, so we'll be showcasing some of their artwork. Other kids like to dance and sing. So, you know, besides the work, every hour we're going to be like, okay, it's Matthew's time to sing or it's Sean's turn to, you know, tell his jokes. It’s their opportunity to show all that they can offer, and how unique they really are.”
The Rudes found their epiphany moment in a place they discovered a few years ago while vacationing in LBI. It’s a place called Compassion Cafe with a similar business model. They became friendly with the owners, talking about their son and why it’s so special for them. Compassion Cafe gave them their business plan about two years ago, in case they wanted to spread this sort of joy up north one day.
That joy has arrived, finally landing in Pine Brook. Their pre-launch was a whirlwind of activity of finding their staff, training them, and raising funds to get things going. They hosted a massive cornhole tournament outside Seven Scoops as a fundraiser and to get the word out. “We’re so grateful to the owners of Seven Scoops and Sips for their tremendous support, generosity, and vision to help us get this off the ground,” Joe says.
But now they plan to likely limit their public fundraising efforts to a once-yearly event and concentrate upon finding corporate sponsors to help with their supply needs. “There’s so much need in the world,” according to Joe. “Everyone has their stuff. We don’t want to take away from anyone else’s real need to raise money for what they’re going through.”
Longtime readers of Wayne Lifestyle may remember Joe as “Mr. Sunshine” - we talked to him then about his day job as proprietor of Panel The Earth, a solar energy provider. Now, that business is thriving better than ever, as Joe dedicates some of his time to something far more personal. This venture is much more of a callback to his former life as a retired police officer. It seems as Joe has spent his lifetime truly living the motto of “protect and serve.”
His wife Paulette has worked for Tiffany for years. Yes, that Tiffany. As it turns out, she knows that special things don't have to just come in a little blue box.
This is a family that brings sparkle and sunshine to everything it touches.
The bright light of I’m Possible is just beginning to shine.
I’m Possible is open from 7:30-11:30AM, September through June on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You can find them inside Seven Scoops at 321 Changebrook Road in Pine Brook.
Spending time with these kids, seeing them beaming ear to ear and the pride in their parents' eyes as they learn each step - that's the magic of I'm Possible.