The Phoenix Center’s student-led Brew Crew is making news! The vocational program, which turns weekly iced coffee orders into hands-on opportunities to build job skills, confidence and independence, was recently featured by both NorthJersey.com and News 12 New Jersey.
Just in time for National Coffee Day on September 29, NorthJersey.com photojournalist Michael Karas visited The Phoenix Center to document the Brew Crew in action. His photo gallery captures students preparing iced coffees, working alongside staff and therapists, and delivering orders throughout the building.
The story also reached television audiences through News 12 New Jersey, which featured the Brew Crew and the real-world job skills students are developing through the program.
What began with one student’s love for iced coffee has grown into a collaborative vocational experience where students practice communication, teamwork, responsibility and independence, one order at a time.
See the Brew Crew in the news:
- NorthJersey.com: Take a look as students at The Phoenix Center make iced coffee (Photos by Michael Karas)
- News 12 New Jersey: Brew Crew helps Phoenix Center students build job skills, one iced coffee at a time
We’re grateful to NorthJersey.com and News 12 New Jersey for helping share this story with the wider community, and especially proud of our students and staff who bring the Brew Crew to life each week.
Want to learn more? Read our Meet the Brew Crew: Brewing Independence, One Iced Coffee at a Time article for a closer look at the program, its beginnings and the life-centered skills students are building along the way.
At The Phoenix Center, we are always looking for ways to build learning around our students’ interests and strengths, and the Brew Crew is a wonderful example of what preparing students for life beyond the classroom can look like. Thank you to Michael Karas, NorthJersey.com and News 12 New Jersey for spending time with our students and helping share their story.