When Susan and Pat Mooney found out their son, Ross, had an aggressive genetic disease that had robbed him of the ability to walk, talk, and eat normally, they weren't sure what to do for him or for the rest of the community.
"We thought, 'You know what? People are good with putting a roof over someone's head and making sure that they're fed, but we want so much more for our son,'" Susan tells the Denver Post.
So the Mooneys founded Tall Tales Ranch in 2014 to provide vocational opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, operating out of a coffee trailer in Lone Tree, Colo., where ambassadors with I/DD are employed and develop vocational skills while exposing the greater community to the value of diversity and inclusion.
Since then, they've expanded to include a brick-and-mortar coffee shop, housing for 32 neurodiverse tenants, and a community barn where they'll host small events and business retreats.
Now, they've received a $50,000 grant from the Daniels Fund, which was started by Bill Daniels in 2000 to give back to those in need.
"Their model is really innovative, very inclusive, and so in some ways it's both caring and cutting edge,"
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