For Immediate Release
January 21, 2025
Collaboration Center to Open On-Campus, Grab-N-Go Café as Part of Adult Vocational Training Program
New café designed to provide comprehensive vocational training for individuals with intellectual, developmental, physical, and learning disabilities
LAS VEGAS – The Collaboration Center, Las Vegas’ premier disability resource network, is excited to announce the opening of it new on-campus café, The CollabCafé. Soft opening to the public on March 3, this grab-and-go eatery will be a key component of the organization’s expanded adult vocational training program.
“The opening of The CollabCafé is a major milestone on our campus,” said Cindy Goussak, Executive Director of the Collaboration Center. “By creating this café, we’re giving our clients the opportunity to develop essential job skills and gain the confidence they need to successfully transition from training to employment.”
Located in The Helms Helps Hub, the café is designed to provide comprehensive vocational training for individuals with intellectual, developmental, physical, and learning disabilities. Program participants will receive training in multiple aspects of food service operations, including food preparation and handling, customer service and interaction skills, cash handling and point-of-sale operations, workplace communication and teamwork, and time management and organizational skills.
“Teaching these skills in a real-world setting is crucial for helping our participants succeed in any job,” said Lisa Cheplak, Campus Services Manager at the Collaboration Center. “The workplace competencies we focus on—such as communication, teamwork, and time management—are in high demand by employers, and they’re key to ensuring our participants are prepared for long-term success.”
The program, under the guidance of Cheplak, provides participants with the opportunity to build confidence and gain hands-on experience in a supportive environment. This structured training prepares individuals for employment in the food service industry and beyond.
Beyond its role as a training facility, The CollabCafé will serve as a welcoming space for families of service recipients to relax, connect, and find support. Designed to be a central hub for inclusion programming, the café can host small-scale community get-togethers and foster connections between campus participants, their families, and the broader Las Vegas community.
The opening of The CollabCafé was made possible by the generous support of The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The Collaboration Center’s campus is designed with full wheelchair accessibility, ensuring individuals with all abilities can enjoy the campus and its services. For more information about The Collaboration Café, visit http://www.collablv.org.
About Collaboration Center
The Collaboration Center was established in 2019 with the mission to ensure everyone, regardless of disability, has equitable access to essential services and support systems by creating and managing the largest disability resource network in Nevada.
Through its core Pathways Program, the Collaboration Center connects individuals and families impacted by intellectual, developmental, physical, and learning disabilities with the best resources for achieving the greatest outcomes. Using a unique concierge case management approach, the Pathways team serves as a centralized, one-stop resource point for families to access to a full range of services, both on and off campus, providing assistance for navigating the complex network of disability services.
The Collaboration Center’s comprehensive campus serves as a centralized hub for a multitude of providers, agencies, and nonprofit organizations that specialize in serving individuals with disabilities from healthcare services and educational resources to community programs and supportive services.
For more information about the Collaboration Center, call (702) 329-3208, visit www.collablv.org, or follow @collaborationlv on social media.
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Media Contact
Briana Philippi
GYC Vegas
(702) 461-6065
[email protected]