Niles Township Supervisor Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti put on an apron earlier this month and handed out coffee to patrons of Will’s Place, taking a turn as a guest barista at a cafe that offers special opportunities.
For an hour, Ognisanti welcomed customers — some of whom were cafe regulars — and filled the coffee house, considered a Skokie gem, with foot traffic.
“To be honest, I’m not making the coffee. They’re the ones doing the work,” Ognisanti told Pioneer Press during her Oct. 18 “shift,” referring to the shop’s employees.
At Will’s Place, almost every employee has a disability. The family-run nonprofit cafe helps to create employment and vocational opportunities for young adults with disabilities, offering hands-on experience in a real-world setting.
When the spot launched in 2023, W

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