Claremore's newest business is officially brewing fresh coffee, as She Brews Coffee House held it's grand opening early Tuesday.
Owner, Rhonda Bear, began her business with a $300.00 investment from her husband and has turned her dream into reality by opening up a shop attached behind Vessel Church.
"My neighbor and I rented a flea market booth with a coffee pot, beans , and two crock pots so that we would serve hot chocolate and wassail," Bear said.
Bear envisioned opening a business after creating, "Women in Transition", a program to help women start anew after being released from prison.
With Oklahoma having some of the highest numbers regarding female incarceration, Bear says her goal is to help women who go to jail stay out after they've been released.
"28,000 children in Oklahoma have an incarcerated parent today and I want to change that number. If I can save a mom, I can save a child," Bear said.
She Brews currently has a handful of employees participating in Bear's transition program which includes housing, counseling, and skills training.
Manager, Sophia Carbajal, graduated from Bear's program years ago and says she hopes she can help positively influence her employees to work hard and stay straight.
"At first I wondered what I could possibly offer, but I know who I am in Christ and I know the person I have now become and it was a privilege and an honor to become not only a house manager, but also manager of She Brews." Carbajal said.
As Bear continues to visit jails all across Oklahoma, she hopes to inspire women to make a change and offer a alternative route from a life of crime after prison.
"They have a sense of hope that they can be accepted in a community. And that's really what this program is," Bear said.
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