The Inclusion Revolution

If you haven’t been to Rise & Nye’s yet for a delicious cup of coffee and mouthwatering beignet, you are truly missing out. However, Rise & Nye’s, located on State Street (across from Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s future downtown Sarasota Philanthropy Center) delivers more than just a great cup of Joe. The coffee shop is about inclusion, acceptance, and opportunity for all, and their employees are truly what makes the exceptional experience unique. Gulf Coast is honored to support Rise & Nye’s and their incredible mission.

In order to know Rise & Nye’s, you must know Inclusion Revolution, the 501(c) (3) nonprofit founded by Beaver Shriver, co-founder of Rise & Nye’s. Inclusion Revolution is a relatively new nonprofit and the backbone driving the Rise & Nye’s mission. They support efforts to provide secure, successful jobs to help employees form meaningful friendships with their peers; live independently; improve their public speaking, develop self-advocacy and communication skills; and feel valued and included by society. The nonprofit celebrates and honors individuals with special abilities by hiring them to run their day-to-day operations.

Christian Nye is the co-founder and executive chef of Rise & Nye’s, trained by the Hyde Park Culinary Institute of America. General Manager Chris Cushman works with the day to day management. Nick, an employee, earned a chef’s coat from Christian. He was awarded in front of his fellow employees because of his work for six months with Chef Nye. Nick is proud of this achievement.

The majority of individuals with intellectual disabilities do not have employment opportunities to share their gifts. Rise & Nye’s serves as a training ground, providing job training and jobs for people with exceptionalities, which also benefits the health and well-being of the individuals and our community. The reward occurs when the coffee shop hires differently-abled individuals who can meaningfully contribute by making their own money and working within the community. That’s when everyone wins. It is the hope of Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Rise & Nye’s that once the community meets these individuals, more people will hire them.

Together with our Donors

Gulf Coast has been in support of Inclusion Revolution in several ways since its grand opening just over one year ago. First came a $1,000 Community Grant to assist their mission in fiscal year 2021. Then, through the Gould Family Trust (a legacy fund), Gulf Coast awarded a $5,000 Sponsorship Grant to Inclusion Revolution. Legacy gifts, endowed funds that donors like Mr. Alvin Gould entrusted to Gulf Coast, are supported in perpetuity.

In October of 2021, Gulf Coast awarded funds from Mr. Gould’s legacy to sponsor a community run/bike ride called Ride Together. Rise Together. The purpose was to raise money for Adventure For All and Inclusion Revolution by bringing a giving community together to show the power of inclusion. The event was held at Nathan Benderson Park and consisted of a group walk/run. The walk/run was followed by a block party on State Street (at the top of the parking garage), including live music, raffles, giveaways, and, of course, Rise & Nye’s ice cream. Inclusion Revolution hoped to use the funds raised to sponsor a key team member (an individual with an intellectual or developmental disability) for a year of employment at Rise & Nye’s. We are certain Mr. Gould, who always made us laugh and had a heart of gold, would have been honored to support this important event and cause.

On Monday, October 18, 2021, then Sarasota Mayor Hagen Brody presented a proclamation recognizing October as Disability Employment Awareness Month. The Herald-Tribune highlighted this exciting news and Rise & Nye’s was recognized for its efforts. Gulf Coast worked behind the scenes with The Able Trust and The City of Sarasota on this first recognition of Disability Employment Awareness Month. “Every time I go into Rise & Nye’s I am uplifted by the smiles of the staff and the fun being had by the patrons. They eagerly open their doors for community events and are being the change they wish to see in the world,” said Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Jennifer Johnston. “It was wonderful to see them recognized by our City for their important mission.”

Recently, a $5,000 Community Grant from Gulf Coast to Inclusion Revolution launched a fundraising campaign for a Rise & Nye’s Food Truck. The goal of the food truck is to give employees experience with catering so they can further engage with the community. We are now sharing this fundraising campaign with our donors. 

Meet Co-founder, Beaver Shriver

We sat down with Beaver Shriver to learn more about this inclusive coffee shop. Beaver shared that he grew up with a friend named Barry in Pennsylvania who had autism. They did everything together. He was proud to be Barry’s friend. Barry timed out of school at 18 years old and got a job at the hospital. Forty years later and Barry is still thriving at his job at the hospital. Beaver shared how so many people like Barry don’t get the opportunity to have a job. Instead, they are forgotten, excluded, marginalized, and in the past, even institutionalized. Now Beaver gets to experience joy every day by working with his team and staff of differently-abled individuals. Baristas like Kelley (who showed off her beautiful ballroom dancing skills while we were there) have the opportunity to shine at Rise & Nye’s. Now our community gets to meet and interact with people like Kelley who end the fear of difference and make customers realize that we are all alike, despite our small differences. Beaver’s favorite part of the job? Hanging with his group of employees, getting to know them better, and letting them thrive in their environment. They certainly do a great job at Rise & Nye’s.

And yet, there is another side to all of this. Rise & Nye’s is in a prime location downtown and rent is not cheap. They currently have 35 employees with many more on the waiting list. They need more opportunities and are hoping that things like the Food Truck and working within the community will help them grow.

We hope this story inspires you to visit Rise & Nye’s for the exceptional customer service where no two visits are ever the same. For when we share our gifts with each other, our region grows stronger.