Louisville cafe gives confidence and purpose to baristas with special needs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --When the sun comes up, trouble can brew. You're running late. There's traffic. Will there be time for coffee?

"We are packed here on Sundays," said barista, Kristina Stidham.

The baristas at Shine Café don't see their spots in the middle of chaotic mornings as a daily grind.

"It's been my dream to work in the café," Stidham said.

They see it as the kind of opportunity they've never had before.

"We just like to help people," Stidham said.

Shine Café is not your standard coffee shop. It's inside Southeast Christian Church. Many members of its staff have down syndrome or autism, or some are physically disabled.

Stidham has always been a bit of a daddy's girl.

"She was, and still is," said her dad, Ronnie.

He's always watched her closely through the struggles of a learning disability.

"It takes her a little longer to process and to understand things," Ronnie said.

Through some of the heartbreaking moments.

"I didn't have no friends or anything," Kristina remembered.

The father and daughter have always had faith, and it saw them and more than 30 other families through in this café.

"God tells me, take a deep breath. You've got this," Kristina said.

Not only does Kristina have plenty of friends now, she has confidence.

"To see them grow, to see them find purpose that maybe they realize they had, but has always been there, It does bring me to tears sometimes to see," said Mary Tatum, the Shine Ministry Director at Southeast Christian Church.

Like all of us, every cup of coffee is far from the same but that's what sort of makes life beautiful.