Rendezvous Café – A Chance to Give Back

By Jack Babb

Did you know that you can help a person with mental or emotional issues learn how to get a job just by having a meal? Most Leisure World residents have had a chance to have a tasty and very reasonably priced meal at the Rendezvous Café. Located by the Golf Shop at Rec 2, it is a natural hub. What may not be known by all is that the café is part of a special program that is run by Copa Health to provide on-thejob training to people with emotional or mental challenges. Sara Wind and Grant Oakley head up the program with a passion that is exciting to witness. During the past seven years, a staggering 300 people have had the chance to learn and grow at the Rendezvous Café. For many, it has changed their lives. Some of them have gone on to work in the food service industry and others go on to other fields. Grant and Sara not only teach the person that is serving your table and the people preparing your food how to do the jobs at hand and how to work with customers, but how to be accountable. They begin with the basics, like calling in if you are ill and taking responsibility for mistakes. To watch Grant as he is teaching is to see a man with a mission embark on a labor of love. Grant’s mantra, which he is constantly reinforcing to his team is “Do the small things right, and the big things come after that.”

Sara and Grant work as a team to provide savory meals for their customers and on-the-job training. “We try to put people in the right positions and show people that there is no face to mental illness. Anyone can be mentally ill. Anyone can have a developmental disability,” Grant says, “it doesn’t mean they are worthless. They are WORTH something. I would say that 99.5 percent of the residents in Leisure World support us. They are so great to our people. They are so generous. When they are not generous and nice to our people, it’s because they don’t know our mission. The mission here is not only to provide great food but to provide a platform for these people participating in our program to go on and find other jobs.” Grant wants to let everyone know that the program only works because of its customers. Every time a person working in the program forgets something and a customer lets him know about it, it is a chance for Grant to turn that mistake into a learning opportunity.

Copa Health is a local, private, non-profit corporation with many different programs that are designed to meet the needs of persons with mental or emotional challenges. Their history dates back to 1957 when nine families in Mesa were unable to find adequate services for their children with developmental disabilities. These families formed Marc Community Resources. Over the decades, their focus evolved to also serve adults and in 2020 they re-branded as Copa Health. They were recently nominated for 17 Mercy Honors RISE Awards from Mercy Health (RISE stands for Resilience, Innovation, Service, and Empowerment). Three of the nominees in the Compassion Category work for Copa here in Leisure World - Caitlin Hanson, Sara Wind, and Grant Oakley.

One of Copa’s divisions is their Employment Related Services, which utilize 27 different community enclaves in the Phoenix Metro area, including the Rendezvous Café. These special enclaves provide real work experience and training in skills ranging from wire assembly services at the Boeing Apache Helicopter Plant, to janitorial services, laundry services, snack bar services, and (at the Rendezvous Café) food preparation and service. The workers are paid an hourly wage as they learn the skills that they will need to move on to the mainstream workplace, and they are provided transportation to and from work by Copa Health.

The Rendezvous Café became one of Copa’s community enclaves in 2016. Sara Wind had been working with Marc Community Resources for three years when they asked her to become the Program Coordinator. “We did a soft opening where we basically gave out free food for the first month,” Sara explains, “The daily specials are based on what the customers wanted.” Grant Oakley had worked with both Sara and Marc Community Resources in the past. He was busy overseeing 18 different kitchens that were working on a meals-on-wheels type of program with the City of Phoenix Senior Community Centers when he was asked to step in as Executive Chef for the café.

The Rendezvous Café and Copa have had plenty of success stories. One of Grant’s favorite cases was a female worker who had agoraphobia, which basically means fear of going outside. “I think she was in her house for about seven or eight years. She was afraid - she didn’t want to leave her house. By the end of her time here, not only was she a server, but she was one of my best servers…her personality just bloomed,” Grant exclaims, “She was open to challenging her world to where she was no longer afraid to go outside. Now that person is successful in her job (outside of the program) and she is a manager at her job.”

Some of the program participants have been success stories, and others have been more challenging. “If a position doesn’t fit a certain person, that doesn’t mean it’s the end,” Grant passionately explains, “That means we find them another job that they ARE fit for. Maybe taking orders is too much. Maybe cooking is too much. Maybe cleaning golf carts – is another thing you guys let us do here – that gives them an opportunity to learn, to get up, to call in. All that stuff is important. It’s a great avenue for them”

Grant is aware that unexpected closures of the café have been a concern for some residents. “When we are closed it hurts our feelings as much as it hurts your feelings. Because when we are closed that means that I am telling someone that week that I can’t train them,” Grant exclaims, “it’s an opportunity lost for them. We are doing everything in our power to correct that.”

The partnership between Leisure World and Copa has been fulfilling for both sides. “I cannot tell you how much we appreciate the leadership and management from Leisure World. We’ve had so much help and so much support from them. Every time we have a problem, they are on it – they are figuring it out,” says Grant, “They are giving us catering jobs. Also, the Board has given us catering through the district meetings and is always supportive. We couldn’t do it without the support of the Board and Leisure World management.”

The next time you visit the Rendezvous Café please keep in mind the very special circumstances that you have walked into. It is a chance for you to help change someone’s life. If the dining experience is not quite what you expected, remember to speak to Grant and give him a chance to use his passion for teaching to turn it into a learning experience. It can be a nice feeling to know that you are helping a person with mental or emotional challenges find their way in the world.

My Hometown Series

By Bob Bennett

My Story: Before retiring, Kay Eakin of Manor 350 was deeply involved in education. She taught Pre-K to Adults in eight countries, served as an educational advisor for State Department families, and was an international education consultant to corporate families moving abroad.

My Family: Kay’s deceased husband, Terry Clay Eakin, was a reporter, a professor, and a foreign service officer. She has two sons; one is a drug and alcohol counselor living in Marysville, Washington, and the other is a marijuana production technician living in North Glenn, Colorado.

My Leisure World Discovery: Kay discovered Leisure World by visiting foreign service friends who lived here. The Eakins bought their own Leisure World home in 1992 and moved here permanently in 2006. Leisure World is now Kay’s only home.