2008 April > Dave's Diner at MTC

The Canadian Mental Health Association-Durham Branch's Employment Program, Whitby Mental Health Centre's Challenging Directions Enterprises, and Community Living-Ajax, Pickering & Whitby Community Employment Program partnered together last year to move forward with a collective vision they had for clients with barriers to employment, interested in developing skills for future employment. The goal of this small business initiative idea was to provide clients, from all three partnering agencies, an opportunity to develop transferable skills within a supported employment environment. The outcome was the transformation of the MTC staff lunch room into a client-staffed cafeteria that now provides lunch and break time refreshments for the staff that work at MTC. The cafe has been operating at MTC since November 5th, 2007 and this month they celebrated the long awaited official opening of the Café named “Dave's Diner", after Dave Barnes, Director of Process at MTC.