Nearly two years ago, the Nesbitt Centre came up with an idea. It would build a coffee shop so that its students - adults with physical and learning disabilities - could better their lives and earn a real wage.
To realise that dream, the non-profit group asked some big favours - and was rewarded with some remarkable goodwill.
The group asked the Uncle Russ coffee chain to help them. The company accepted. The group asked a local designer to create a stand-alone shop. The designer welcomed the opportunity.
The group even asked St John's Cathedral for space on its property. And after giving the plan careful consideration, the church approved. The Nesbitt Centre's coffee shop, pending government approval, is scheduled to open on the grounds of St John's Cathedral in the spring.
'If it's a heart-felt idea and you're trying to empower the people that you're working with, go and ask,' said Surinder Punjya, the executive director of the Nesbitt Centre. 'Go and do it, talk to people, get involved.'
Money raised by this year's Operation Santa Claus will allow the Nesbitt Centre buy equipment for the upcoming shop.