A mom in Illinois, concerned about her son’s employment after high school, opened a bakery just so she could hire him.
She named the bakery Special Kneads as a nod toward her child who lives with cerebral palsy.
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Margaret Cortes opened her shop in 2018 in Galva, Illinois, according to her Facebook page.
That was the year she suddenly found herself without a job. A internet search showed her area didn’t have a bakery…and Special Kneads was born.
According to KWQC-TV, Cortes’ son, Frankie, who is a senior at Galva High School, works the front of the shop.
Cortes wrote this for her bakery’s page:
“Our local bakery had been in business for over 80 years and the owner just closed shop on 12/31/17.
Bingo that is it! Let’s open a bakery to provide for my family and for there to be a place for Frankie when he enters the workplace.”
She told KWQC doctors were afraid Frankie would never walk or talk.
“He’s got a lot of diagnosis going against him.
He’s got cerebral palsy.
He’s got Dandy-Walker variant, which is a malformation of the brain.
He’s got vision issues so he’s blind in one eye.”
But, Cortes had faith in her boy and knew he was capable of doing many things. She was also afraid he would feel isolated working a low skilled job at a factory.
Now, Frankie loves his job at the bakery and is preparing to go to college.
He said,
“I just try and treat everyone with respect and make them smile.
I like serving the community because it makes my heart feel good.”
Amazed at how far her son has come along, Cortes plans to use the bakery as a place to teach vocational skills to other young people with disabilities…and baking the world a better place!
What an inspiring story! Have one like this? Share it with us in the comments!
