Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hawkins McCain, 7, licks a scoop of vanilla ice cream as he and his older sister, Marren, 9, get ice cream with their father, Tommy, at Unless U Scoops, as Nick Lanzi, a student at Unless U, and Meredith Binkley, the job skills and life teacher and manager of the Unless U Scoops ice cream shop, [processes or rings up] the McCain family’s order in August.
One of Vestavia’s most beloved organizations now serves ice cream.
Unless U Scoops launched in August, offering students at Unless U, which offers continuing education for adults with disabilities, the chance to experience a real-world job and gain valuable experience.
“We’re incredibly proud of them,” said Meredith Binkley, who oversees Unless U Scoops and is a job training specialist with Unless U. “A lot of them have had jobs, but many haven’t.”
Students earn “Unibucks,” Binkley said, meaning what they earn can be used at the store owned and operated by the organization. The Unless U store offers merchandise, clothes, snacks and more, Binkley said.
Unless U Scoops, an extension of Unless U, is an ice cream shop, offering flavors from Big Spoon Creamery, along with a specialty ice cream only made at Unless U Scoops: “unicorn” ice cream, which is cake batter ice cream with sprinkles, and, if in a cup, served with a cone on top like a unicorn horn. Flavors offered at the store rotate with Big Spoon Creamery’s offerings, but there are mainstays: chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream.
The business allows the organization’s students to gain real-world experience in the job market and allows area residents to interact with happy, encouraging workers who provide them with a delicious treat. Working in a public-facing job allows students to learn how to interact with and serve the public, Binkley said.
“They have a lot of pride in it,” Binkley said. “They’re taking an ownership of their position.”
A majority of the organization’s 100 students work at the store, Binkley said, which serves as an extension of Unless U’s job skills class. The store became possible when Unless U moved into its new home at 737 Chestnut St., which freed up more space for classrooms, common areas and now, Scoops. Probably 90% of the organization’s students work at Unless U Scoops, she said.
Students are taking pride in everything they do, Binkley said, whether that’s making the perfect scoop of ice cream or taking out the trash and cleaning up on a daily basis. For each student, job skills can look different, she said. Different students serve in different roles, from greeters to those making the ice cream to cashiers.
“It’s been really nice to see this pride escalate,” Binkley said.
The long lines that can often develop at Scoops don’t scare the students, Binkley said. Those who have come by to say hello and grab some ice cream have been very supportive, she said.
“The community has been just phenomenal,” Binkley said.
The new building is now open, but people wishing to help contribute to paying for the building can still do so through the end of 2022. So far, the student’s new home has been “incredible,” Binkley said, and students are making sure it stays that way.
“Every day, we make sure the building is clean,” she said.
Unless U Scoops is open 1-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 1-8 p.m. on Friday. It is closed on the weekends.
For more information about Unless U Scoops and Unless U, visit unlessu.org.