Located in the Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre, we are people with and without intellectual disabilities creating a community coffeehouse where all can gather and learn about each other, all while enjoying some delicious treats! L'Arche seeks to provide environments where people can reach their full potential, lead lives rich in relationships of mutuality, and have a valid place in society where all can contribute. The Inclusion Coffeehouse opened its doors in December 2021. Located in the Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre, the coffeehouse serves many members of the neighbourhood including those of different backgrounds, ages, cultures, faiths and abilities. The Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre opened in late 2018 and is located just south of Tim Horton’s Field, home of the Hamilton TiCats! The Recreation Centre boasts a recreational warm pool, gym, outdoor skating loop, and coffeehouse! Turner Foundation Fund at Hamilton Community Foundation as well as partnership with the City of Hamilton, we were able to open this coffeehouse program and bring it to life as a community space where all can gather and learn about each other, all while enjoying some delicious treats! In a time when people are longing to belong and know that they matter, we stand for everyone of us as a way to share our gifts, deepen our connection and celebrate our humanity and our need for one another. The coffeehouse was founded to allow us to express our gifts of cooking, and welcome. The coffeehouse was founded to allow us to express our gifts of cooking, hospitality and friendship. We believe that the Inclusion Coffeehouse belongs to all the adults with intellectual disabilities who make up our charity, and the neighbourhood in which we operate. All profits from this project will go to those adults with intellectual disabilities supported by L'Arche Hamilton. At present, the Inclusion Coffeehouse is open every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm. Our goal is to increase our days and hours of operation once the many delays caused by Covid subside.
“Coffee and friendship - it goes together because people can come and sit down and get to know each other. Inclusion means community and it means like a family and we’re together.” – Janice M.
