Written by: Rachel Ahrens | SCC Barista |
 | I am a huge coffee and hot chocolate fan and have been for years. Coffee shops are one of my favorite places to hang out with family and friends. Especially since I started training at Shepherds Community Café. I always look forward to coming into the café, even on my days off, but especially on days that I’m working. It's an opportunity for our café team to experiment, learn new things, and chat with the community. So why did I call this blog post, “It’s More Than a Visit”? Well, I’m about to tell you and I, like many people in the bank family, believe in this statement. |
When anyone visits the café our team's end goal is for our customers to enjoy delicious coffee, have fun, and feel welcomed. The more people that visit, means the more experience our barista's gain. The café is our training space. A safe space where we can learn. We learn how to work with customers, take orders, make drinks, proper food handling, and so much more.
The entire café was made as an area for the whole community to enjoy and be a part of. Shepherds Community Café not only has delicious coffee, but there are also amazing conference rooms available to the community free of charge. Each of the rooms are just steps away from our coffee bar, so it’s kind of a win/win situation right there. You meet and we learn.
So the next time you're visiting Shepherds Community Café, just know that to our team, it's always “More than a Visit". It's an opportunity.
The entire café was made as an area for the whole community to enjoy and be a part of. Shepherds Community Café not only has delicious coffee, but there are also amazing conference rooms available to the community free of charge. Each of the rooms are just steps away from our coffee bar, so it’s kind of a win/win situation right there. You meet and we learn.
So the next time you're visiting Shepherds Community Café, just know that to our team, it's always “More than a Visit". It's an opportunity.
1 Comment
Written by: Rachel Ahrens
Café Barista | Shepherds College Alumni
Photography by: Brianna Behringer
Café Barista | Shepherds College Alumni
These past few years I've had the honor and joy of training at Shepherds Community Café. I love every second of it. I have learned how to make different drinks, customer service, organizing/stocking, and so much more. I'm thankful for everything that everyone has done to give me this experience. As a thank you to the community for supporting our café, my daily goal is to treat every guest with kindness by having an upbeat attitude, smiling, or lending a helping hand.
Café Barista | Shepherds College Alumni
Photography by: Brianna Behringer
Café Barista | Shepherds College Alumni
These past few years I've had the honor and joy of training at Shepherds Community Café. I love every second of it. I have learned how to make different drinks, customer service, organizing/stocking, and so much more. I'm thankful for everything that everyone has done to give me this experience. As a thank you to the community for supporting our café, my daily goal is to treat every guest with kindness by having an upbeat attitude, smiling, or lending a helping hand.
I also share this kindness with those I work with. There is a spirit of teamwork at Shepherds Community Café. I have the honor of working with Cyndi Lambdin (Café Manager), Brianna Behringer (a Barista like me), and Andrea Huedepohl (Lead Barista). During my time working with them I have learned new skills and also how to work as a team. We all help each other out when making drinks, cleaning, or customer service skills. It has been awesome getting to know Cyndi and Brianna better.
Have you visited our café yet? I'd like to share a few of my favorite drinks with you and also a surprise. At the café we make many different drinks from hot chocolate and coffee, to flavored lattes. Some of my personal favorites are Caramel Lattes, The Lambeau Leap, and a Cinnamon Hazelnut Latte. Everything we make is amazing and we can make anything, even if you're not a coffee fan. I'm also really excited to announce that the Shepherds College Culinary Team will now be dropping off fresh bakery every Wednesday and Friday. These items are limited and will also be available with a minimum donation. So if you're in the Union Grove area, I encourage you to come and check it out. We are open Monday through Friday from 8 AM until noon.
In closing, I just wanna take this final opportunity to thank Community State Bank and Shepherds College for giving me this amazing opportunity to work in the café. If the café wasn't here, I would not have the skills I have today.
I hope we see you soon!
Rachel Ahrens
Have you visited our café yet? I'd like to share a few of my favorite drinks with you and also a surprise. At the café we make many different drinks from hot chocolate and coffee, to flavored lattes. Some of my personal favorites are Caramel Lattes, The Lambeau Leap, and a Cinnamon Hazelnut Latte. Everything we make is amazing and we can make anything, even if you're not a coffee fan. I'm also really excited to announce that the Shepherds College Culinary Team will now be dropping off fresh bakery every Wednesday and Friday. These items are limited and will also be available with a minimum donation. So if you're in the Union Grove area, I encourage you to come and check it out. We are open Monday through Friday from 8 AM until noon.
In closing, I just wanna take this final opportunity to thank Community State Bank and Shepherds College for giving me this amazing opportunity to work in the café. If the café wasn't here, I would not have the skills I have today.
I hope we see you soon!
Rachel Ahrens
Picture taken by a customer of our lovely Barista team!
We are so excited to announce that our café is officially open! After two years of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to start serving the community once again! We have made a few changes...
First, we're excited to welcome Cyndi Lambdin to the team! Cyndi is our Café Manager. She joins Community State Bank with over 3 decades of experience in food service and over 14 years of experience working with individuals with special needs.
We're also excited to welcome Brianna (Alumni of Shepherds College) and welcome back Rachel (Senior Barista and Alumni of Shepherds College) to the café! It's individuals like Cyndi, Brianna and Rachel that make the café possible and we are so grateful to welcome each of them!
Recently, we also made the switch to serve Lake Geneva Roastery coffee. Lake Geneva Roastery is located in Elkhorn, WI and is owned and operated by Jeremiah Fox. We highly recommend that you check out Jeremiah's story here: www.lgcrcoffee.com/about_us
In addition, we have made a few changes to our hours of operation. Our café will now be open Monday through Friday from 8 AM until noon. We do operate inside of Community State Bank so our holiday hours coincide with CSB. Banking services will be available at 9 AM.
Well... I think that's about it! We're extremely excited to serve the community once again! We will officially be open on Monday, January 10th!
Cheers!
First, we're excited to welcome Cyndi Lambdin to the team! Cyndi is our Café Manager. She joins Community State Bank with over 3 decades of experience in food service and over 14 years of experience working with individuals with special needs.
We're also excited to welcome Brianna (Alumni of Shepherds College) and welcome back Rachel (Senior Barista and Alumni of Shepherds College) to the café! It's individuals like Cyndi, Brianna and Rachel that make the café possible and we are so grateful to welcome each of them!
Recently, we also made the switch to serve Lake Geneva Roastery coffee. Lake Geneva Roastery is located in Elkhorn, WI and is owned and operated by Jeremiah Fox. We highly recommend that you check out Jeremiah's story here: www.lgcrcoffee.com/about_us
In addition, we have made a few changes to our hours of operation. Our café will now be open Monday through Friday from 8 AM until noon. We do operate inside of Community State Bank so our holiday hours coincide with CSB. Banking services will be available at 9 AM.
Well... I think that's about it! We're extremely excited to serve the community once again! We will officially be open on Monday, January 10th!
Cheers!
Coffee Lovers & Friends,
It’s been awhile and our baristas have missed you greatly! We’re very excited to announce that Shepherds Community Café will be open on Thursdays from 9 AM until noon beginning on Thursday, March 4th, 2021! In order to ensure that your visit is safe, we’ve put a few health guidelines in place according to CDC recommendations…
- Our customers and staff will be encouraged to wear a mask – if you don’t have one, Community State Bank will provide one during your visit.
- Hand sanitizing stations will be available.
- We will encourage social distancing.
- There will be protective sneeze/cough guards at the order line.
- High traffic and high touch areas, like door handles, counter tops, tables, chairs and meeting rooms will be sanitized several times a day.
- Guests are welcome to pre-order their drinks by calling the café during regular business hours at (262) 878-9894. Please no voicemail orders.
In addition we’re also excited to announce that our community rooms will be available by appointment during café hours.
Guests will be encouraged to wear masks while utilizing the rooms. All reservations can be made through our online reservation system.
We’re very grateful for your support and hope you’ll stop in to visit us soon! More details to come!
Thank you to all of our local first responders, military & Veterans for protecting & saving the lives of those in our community! Shepherds Community Cafe & Community State Bank are teaming up to provide you with free coffee for the entire month of April! This is offered to all firefighters, law enforcement, EMTs, Veterans and current military with valid ID starting April 1st, 2019! Stop by Shepherds Community Cafe in Union Grove, WI this April to get your ☕️!!! Your free coffee will continue to support a great cause!
 |  The Gift of Awareness written by Susan Griffis, Associate Vice President of Marketing, Shepherds College Nothing galls us more than hearing the words, “Shepherds College is the best kept secret.” Gaaaahhhh!! We’re not keeping our program a secret. Our Marketing team has been working hard for over a decade to spread the word about our groundbreaking program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The problem is, unless a parent knows Shepherds College exists, odds are good they won’t be looking. It was only recently that post-secondary schools for people with intellectual disabilities became an option. Many people assume there is nothing for their student once they age out of high school so they don’t bother seeking out more advanced educational opportunities. Marketing for the new Shepherds College was a challenge from the beginning. How do you get people to find a small post-secondary school when they’re not actively looking, and you’re operating on a miniscule marketing budget? When Community State Bank gave Shepherd College the gift of Shepherds Community Café, they didn’t realize they were also giving us: The Gift of Awareness Shepherds College may be small, but its impact on the lives of students with intellectual disabilities and their families is immense. Our program changes lives for these people by giving hope, fulfilling dreams and bringing dignity through education, self-advocacy, self-awareness and independence. Parents find security and peace watching their children become confident, capable and empowered. The Shepherds College program also changes the hearts and minds of people exposed to our students in community. With every exposure, the world can see their abilities and their value to society. Perceptions change, stigmas are slain, and acceptance grows. When the bank gave Shepherds College the space to run a café, the eyes of a growing community turned to our program. Awareness grew. Thanks to the expertise and partnership of Community State Bank’s marketing team, word of the café and the mission of Shepherds College is continually getting out to more and more people. We have received publicity from several news stations and newspapers resulting in national media attention for both the café and the college. We pray that this heightened awareness of our café and college will bring new students, additional funding for our vital mission, and a more educated, accepting world for people with intellectual disabilities. Most importantly, we pray that people will see God working in mighty ways in the lives of the people we serve through the love generated in real community. Read about the Gifts of Experience and Community in the February 2019 blogs. The Gift of Financial Support coming soon. |
The Gift of Community
written by Susan Griffis, Associate Vice President of Marketing, Shepherds College
Read through the Community State Bank website and you will see statements like “relationship-driven,” “creating a culture that exemplifies positivity,” and “investing our time, talents and resources into building the communities we serve.”
These statements aren’t just empty messages created at a monthly marketing meeting and then forgotten about. They are statements lived out by the bank president and his staff on a daily basis.
Visit the Community State Bank Facebook and Instagram pages and scroll through posts of free community events they’ve hosted, farmers and other business owners they serve, and neighbors with real needs they support. Several of those posts will be about the café they built for Shepherds College, a post-secondary school for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For the students, Shepherds Community Café was a message saying, “You matter in this community.” For Shepherds College, the café was an awesome blessing that still continues to reveal other important gifts through the bank’s original, generous act. By caring for their neighbors, the bank gave the college:
The Gift of Community
From the grand opening to now, the chairs at Shepherds Community Café are filled with supportive neighbors, local business owners, out of town visitors, media personnel, Community State Bank employees, and Shepherds College parents, students and staff. The students and alumni who work at the café, our baristas, are being exposed to new people and potential new friends every day. These interactions give the students the opportunity to build their communities and support systems. Each relationship developed can be a source of wisdom, spiritual guidance, life experience or assistance as these students learn to live on their own after graduation.
Every contact is also an opportunity for the students to give back – to engage in another’s life – sharing their unique abilities and personalities with the people around them. With each connection made and every relationship built, the students are creating safer and more welcoming communities in which they can live out their dreams of independence.
Read about the Gift of Experience in the February 11, 2019 blog. The Gift of Awareness and the Gift of Financial Support coming in March.
written by Susan Griffis, Associate Vice President of Marketing, Shepherds College
Read through the Community State Bank website and you will see statements like “relationship-driven,” “creating a culture that exemplifies positivity,” and “investing our time, talents and resources into building the communities we serve.”
These statements aren’t just empty messages created at a monthly marketing meeting and then forgotten about. They are statements lived out by the bank president and his staff on a daily basis.
Visit the Community State Bank Facebook and Instagram pages and scroll through posts of free community events they’ve hosted, farmers and other business owners they serve, and neighbors with real needs they support. Several of those posts will be about the café they built for Shepherds College, a post-secondary school for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For the students, Shepherds Community Café was a message saying, “You matter in this community.” For Shepherds College, the café was an awesome blessing that still continues to reveal other important gifts through the bank’s original, generous act. By caring for their neighbors, the bank gave the college:
The Gift of Community
From the grand opening to now, the chairs at Shepherds Community Café are filled with supportive neighbors, local business owners, out of town visitors, media personnel, Community State Bank employees, and Shepherds College parents, students and staff. The students and alumni who work at the café, our baristas, are being exposed to new people and potential new friends every day. These interactions give the students the opportunity to build their communities and support systems. Each relationship developed can be a source of wisdom, spiritual guidance, life experience or assistance as these students learn to live on their own after graduation.
Every contact is also an opportunity for the students to give back – to engage in another’s life – sharing their unique abilities and personalities with the people around them. With each connection made and every relationship built, the students are creating safer and more welcoming communities in which they can live out their dreams of independence.
Read about the Gift of Experience in the February 11, 2019 blog. The Gift of Awareness and the Gift of Financial Support coming in March.
The Gift of Experience
written by Susan Griffis, Associate Vice President of Marketing, Shepherds College
Russian nesting dolls are fascinating gifts. The main doll is beautifully carved and painted and, in itself, is a wonderful surprise. But then you open the doll to find another, similar to the first in its beauty, but with intricate and important differences. As you open the doll you’ll continue to find another… and another… and another… each unique and each an essential part of the whole gift.
In 2018, Community State Bank gave Shepherds College a gift much like this. They gave the school a café for the Culinary Arts students to run - Shepherds Community Café.
One of the first things people do after receiving a Russian nesting doll is to remove each doll, put the halves back together, and line them up next to each other to examine the gift in its entirety. After receiving the gift of Shepherds Community Cafe, the staff at Shepherds College did the same. The second gift was easily revealed:
The Gift of Experience
Shepherds Community Café is staffed by the second- and third-year students and alumni of Shepherds College. These baristas all have intellectual or developmental disabilities so they are supervised by a café manager, one who is experienced in the disability field.
Running the café and serving the customers gives these students valuable, real-life business experience. As they grow in knowledge, the students are gaining confidence in their skills and in their personal interactions.
The students each learn specialized skills in their Culinary Arts program at Shepherds College. They also learn soft skills, such as professional behaviors, dressing for success and conflict resolution. These soft skills are tested and enhanced through working as baristas at the café.
Later this year, the café will offer baked goods made by the Culinary Arts students. The students will be baking cookies, muffins, bars and other delicious treats in the newly licensed production kitchen at Shepherds College. Producing these baked goods to sell in the café will add another level of experience toward their careers in Culinary Arts.
Thanks to the gift of Shepherds Community Café, the Shepherds College Culinary Arts students are building impressive resumes to assist them on the path toward fulfilling their dreams of independence.
Read about the other generous gifts in upcoming blogs.
written by Susan Griffis, Associate Vice President of Marketing, Shepherds College
Russian nesting dolls are fascinating gifts. The main doll is beautifully carved and painted and, in itself, is a wonderful surprise. But then you open the doll to find another, similar to the first in its beauty, but with intricate and important differences. As you open the doll you’ll continue to find another… and another… and another… each unique and each an essential part of the whole gift.
In 2018, Community State Bank gave Shepherds College a gift much like this. They gave the school a café for the Culinary Arts students to run - Shepherds Community Café.
One of the first things people do after receiving a Russian nesting doll is to remove each doll, put the halves back together, and line them up next to each other to examine the gift in its entirety. After receiving the gift of Shepherds Community Cafe, the staff at Shepherds College did the same. The second gift was easily revealed:
The Gift of Experience
Shepherds Community Café is staffed by the second- and third-year students and alumni of Shepherds College. These baristas all have intellectual or developmental disabilities so they are supervised by a café manager, one who is experienced in the disability field.
Running the café and serving the customers gives these students valuable, real-life business experience. As they grow in knowledge, the students are gaining confidence in their skills and in their personal interactions.
The students each learn specialized skills in their Culinary Arts program at Shepherds College. They also learn soft skills, such as professional behaviors, dressing for success and conflict resolution. These soft skills are tested and enhanced through working as baristas at the café.
Later this year, the café will offer baked goods made by the Culinary Arts students. The students will be baking cookies, muffins, bars and other delicious treats in the newly licensed production kitchen at Shepherds College. Producing these baked goods to sell in the café will add another level of experience toward their careers in Culinary Arts.
Thanks to the gift of Shepherds Community Café, the Shepherds College Culinary Arts students are building impressive resumes to assist them on the path toward fulfilling their dreams of independence.
Read about the other generous gifts in upcoming blogs.
 |  |
Community State Bank and Shepherds Community Café invite our friends and neighbors to a Community Open House at 1500 Main Street, Union Grove, WI on Saturday, August 11th, 2018 from 9 AM until noon.
The open house will feature tours of Community State Bank’s newly renovated office and Shepherds Community Café. The café will also be providing free beverage samples and bakery while supplies last.
“We’re so excited to show our newly renovated office to the community,” said CSB President and CEO, Scott Huedepohl. “The design reflects everything a community bank stands for...strong communities and building quality relationships.”
Some of the additional features that the office includes are a new drive-thru, employee collaboration areas, an outdoor patio space and two community rooms that are free for local organizations and businesses to use upon request.
“This design is different than a traditional community bank,” said Huedepohl. “We encourage our neighbors to stop in for our community event and check out everything our new office and café have to offer.”
The open house will feature tours of Community State Bank’s newly renovated office and Shepherds Community Café. The café will also be providing free beverage samples and bakery while supplies last.
“We’re so excited to show our newly renovated office to the community,” said CSB President and CEO, Scott Huedepohl. “The design reflects everything a community bank stands for...strong communities and building quality relationships.”
Some of the additional features that the office includes are a new drive-thru, employee collaboration areas, an outdoor patio space and two community rooms that are free for local organizations and businesses to use upon request.
“This design is different than a traditional community bank,” said Huedepohl. “We encourage our neighbors to stop in for our community event and check out everything our new office and café have to offer.”
Community Open House & Grand Opening
Saturday, August 11th, 2018 | 9AM - 12PM
Community State Bank
1500 Main Street
Union Grove, WI 53182
Community State Bank
1500 Main Street
Union Grove, WI 53182
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