The Wegener couple from Ohio have ten children. Josh, 18, and Mary Kate, 21, both with Down syndrome. The head of the family, Joel, wanted the children to be able to earn a living and communicate with people.
“When we decided to go into the ice cream business, it was just a natural thing to get my daughter and son involved,” Joel recalls. Kate showed an interest in working with her father after completing a career development course for people with disabilities. She kept saying: “I want to work with Daddy.”
Joel bought a van to sell ice cream and treats. Josh and Mary started helping their father. “No matter what your abilities are, there is something you can do and you can make people happy and connect with them,” said Joel.
By working with their father, Josh and Mary learn how to handle money and develop social skills.
“It’s much more than selling ice cream,” says Joel Wegener. “It’s an experience for everyone and an opportunity to show other parents that you can think of something creative and out of the box for the children.”
Josh said that his father had advised him to be friendly and wave to customers. ” People smile and wave back too because everyone loves ice cream,” said the young man.
“Almost every time I go out, I meet a family with children with special needs,” Joel said. “It’s just been an incredible journey,” he added.
The Vegeners say their profits have exceeded expectations, and so far they have sold around 5,000 servings of ice cream from the van. They plan to increase the number of trucks and hire workers with special needs next year.
