KCK woman creating opportunities through coffee

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Jamina Bone said the Strawberry Hill neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Kan., has a void.

"There needs to be more coffee because with coffee comes community," Bone said.

The community she's creating is one where young people who need more of a push toward success are getting it.

"I grew up poor, and it's a cycle," she said.

Bone got out of the cycle in her teens by getting a part-time job. Now, she's giving others the same opportunity by opening a coffee shop called A Cup on the Hill.

"Once we open our doors the people will come in, get their coffee and give to a good cause," Bone said.

With a special-education background, Bone has seen kids with economic, physical and mental disadvantages get left behind. But her shop, which will employ young people ages 16-25, will put them in the real world.

"They work with our customers, they learn how to work with one another, giving eye contact, social skills," Bone said.

A Cup on the Hill will open in the spring. Bone is in the final stages of setting a location.