Restaurant Offers Something More for Community

I watched a story about this place on CBSNEWS.com. It's amazing what people can do when we pull together to include someone else. Here's an article from www.restaurant.org. Positive Vibe Café Richmond, VA Project/Area of Focus: Muscular Dystrophy

When Garth Larcen heard his son Max was having trouble finding a job, he stepped up to the plate to help out. Not with a strategically placed phone call or help with his resume, but by starting a restaurant— from the ground up—where Max and others like him could work.

Max, who has a severe form of muscular dystrophy, was told by employers that he lacked the right experience and skills. So Larcen launched the Get Lost MD Foundation, named by his son, and set out to create a restaurant that would serve as a training ground for people with special needs. Today, that restaurant, the Positive Vibe Café, is under construction in Richmond and aims to teach basic kitchen and restaurant skills, free of cost, to help Max and others with physical and mental disabilities.

The entire Richmond community has responded to the project, including many restaurants, chefs, foodservice consultants, food distributors and other local businesses. The Positive Vibe Cafe is being built with the help of corporate sponsors who have donated goods and services. Larcen and the Get Lost MD Foundation are also hosting a series of dinners at local restaurants, with 10 percent of each day’s gross sales going toward the foundation.