Leslie Grant, centre, and Donna Shannon Paterson opened Judy’s Beach Café in September as a non-profit business.

The organizers: Leslie Grant and Donna Shannon Paterson

The pitch: Opening Judy’s Beach Café

The cause: To provide jobs for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities

Leslie Grant and Donna Shannon Paterson thought about opening a coffee shop for years, but not as a way of making money.

The friends had each enjoyed long careers in special education in Toronto and they’d always wanted to find a way to employ people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. They drew inspiration from Ms. Shannon Paterson’s younger sister, Judy Shannon, who had Down Syndrome and died last year at the age of 51.

Ms. Shannon spent around 13 years working at a florist s

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