64 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2017 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2017 65 EMBRACE the Concept: Hugs Café by Kristin Cicciarelli It has been said that if you choose a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. Surely that statement could be no truer than for Hugs Café founder, Ruth Thompson, who cre- ated the concept of a lunch-only restaurant in McKinney employ- ing young adults with special needs. But the path leading to the opening of Hugs isn’t what you might think: in 2013, Ruth was ready for retirement, and her career background was in manage- ment—and not even in the food industry. In fact, she jokes that the only restaurant experience in her immediate family was when her husband worked as a teenager at an A&W. When the Thompson family moved to Texas in 2004, Ruth took a job as manager of McKinney’s Market Street cooking school. Previously, in Colorado, she had found her passion for working with adults with special needs at an in-home/respite care facility but didn’t find similar opportunities for herself in Texas. At the time, Texas ranked 48th in funding for the disabled population (unfortunately, it now ranks 50th). When she told her Market Street superiors that she wanted to teach cooking classes to adults with special needs, they told her to “make it work,” and so she did. In October 2015, she opened Hugs Café in historic downtown McKinney—originally with the idea of training and temporarily employing adults with special needs so that they could move on to other employment. The only problem is (and Ruth says, “It’s a wonderful problem to have”) her employees don’t want to leave. “There is such comfort and familiarity there for them, and it’s such a happy place to work,” she says. So, the vision for Hugs has changed, and now Ruth asks: “How can we do more?” Currently, she is working on the concept of a Hugs Greenhouse, for which land has already been donated and fundraising is un- derway. Ruth explains that the greenhouse would provide addi- tional employment opportunities for those adults in wheelchairs, and for whom restaurant work would not be possible. She also opened up evening cooking classes last year to provide skills in the food service industry to additional students with disabilities. “My focus today is different than when we started,” she explains. “I’m now looking at daily operations of a nonprofit as well as add- ing more programs and increasing the size of our company to accommodate more people.” While Hugs gets consistently high marks for its delicious food and excellent customer service, it’s doing something so much big- ger: providing dignity and self-worth to those who might other- wise have difficulty finding jobs. So, the next time you’re in McK- inney, be sure to stop by and get your daily hug. Dance is a beautiful form of self-expression, and Chamber- lain School of Ballet in Plano offers classes to ensure that every child has the opportunity to be a dancer. Chamberlain’s Shining Stars program offers dance classes for children ages 6 to 21 with any type of special needs. The non-profit Chamber- lain Performing Arts, a group dedicated to arts education and outreach, established the program in 2005, and approximately 200 students have participated to date. Members of the studio’s senior company ballet assist these dancers one-on-one to be graceful ballerinas. Rehearsals are held on Saturday mornings with two classes, one for the younger dancers ages 6 to 12, and one for ages 13 and up. The highlight of the year is a Valentine’s Day dance. Some dancers have been participating for over a decade. Bal- lerina Ashley started as a young girl dancing with the use of her braces and crutches; now she doesn’t need them. Her mom credits dance for the improvement in her strength and coordi- nation. It’s also made an impact on the dancers who volunteer. One former student was even admitted to college based on her essay about the partnership she’d developed with her special-needs peer. "Our Shining Stars program is special in many ways...it al- lows all children, regardless of ability, the joy of dance class on Saturday mornings. Assisting our Shining Stars students are loving teens providing support and encouragement along the way,” says Kathy Chamberlain, Owner/Founder of Chamber- lain Performing Arts. “Many relationships develop into special friendships, based on trust, and are truly beautiful to me."  For more information, contact chamberlainperformingarts.org/outreach. EMBRACE Elegance and Grace By AliciaWanek “ShiningStarsallowsallchildren, regardlessofability,thejoyof danceclass.” -Kathy Chamberlain, Owner/Founder of Chamberlain Performing Arts. Established in 2005, the Shining Stars program engages special needs individuals ages 6 to 21 in weekly dance classes that are specifically designed to improve motor skills, further physical and social development, and foster an inclusive environment for the students and their families.To date, CPA has served 272 students with special needs in Collin County. E M B R A C E ! m'brās/ verb Embrace! was created to provide information and human interest articles to help families with differently-abled children. Whether your child has ADHD, Autism, Down syndrome or any other special need that qualifies him or her for programs in public schools, we will be researching and covering important, educational and inspiring content that addresses a wide variety of issues. Chamberlain Ballet Classes Allow Dancers with Special Needs to Shine WhileHugsgetsconsistently highmarksforitsdelicious foodandexcellentcustomer service,it’sdoingsomething somuchbigger:providing dignityandself-worthto thosewhomightotherwise havedifficultyfindingjobs. “It’s such a happy place to work,”says RuthThompson, pictured below, center, with some of Hugs Cafe’s smiling faces.