We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rhonda Bear. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rhonda below.

Rhonda , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

She Brews Coffee House and Transition Program was created to provide job training for Justice impacted women, those exiting prison, jail and rehabs. Oklahoma has always had a high-rate of female incarceration. Many mothers are sent to prison for substance abuse and children are left to survive in the system of Dept. of Human Services or with friends or next of kin. With over 30,000 kids in Oklahoma with an incarcerated parent, a task force was appointed under Governor Mary Fallen and the study shared that 7 out of 10 kids with an incarcerated parent would follow in their parents foot steps. After being in prison myself, and fighting to get my children back, it became my mission to save other children in Oklahoma by saving their moms and even dads sometimes. She Brews Coffee House & Transition Program is my tool

Rhonda , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In June of 2002 I walked out of one of the first private female prisons in the State of Oklahoma. I was clean and sober from not doing drugs in prison, but I felt lost, and like a failure as a mother. I met a lady in prison who is a volunteer named Eileen. At her encouragement I moved to Tulsa to start fresh not knowing anyone which was great but I was still without my children.
I became involved with a team of mentors through a ministry called Stand in the Gap. This team committed to walk with me for 2 years and helped me grow and evolve into the woman I am today. They also helped me to get in position with employment, drivers license, recovery but most important to get my children restored to my custody. After a few years, I am married a great man who loved children that had been through struggles and loved me and respected me like I never experienced and then he taught me to dream. “The dream” I would become a volunteer in the prisons, I would pay it forward as Eileen had done for me. I would get a home for women to come to after prison, and would welcome them to a community of people that would love on them regardless of their past mistakes, their age, their race that socioeconomic status. My husband, myself, Claremore Community and a few dedicated board members began to make the dream happen. Employment remained an issue. I went to my husband with a 2nd. dream and he laughed and said your dreams are expensive, you only get one, hahah. Soon She Brews Coffee House was birthed to provide job training for the women living in the homes. Soon we began helping the women expand with education opportunities, better jobs and returned children.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first started She Brews Coffee House, myself and my neighbor partnered up. We rented a booth in an antique mall and served coffee $1.00 per cup. The goal was people sip on coffee, meet the women, learn their stories and give them a chance. This activity lasted about a year. We increased out menu and included soup, hot chocolate and homemade apple cider. Things were tough. We were operating in a booth in an antique mall, which meant limited space and abilities. We lacked knowledge on improving our coffee quality by adding updated equipment, payroll was tough to make, payroll taxes were tough to understand and then all the required insurance. It was a really tough place to be. I began to contemplate how to quiet and tell the women they were unemployed, things were not working out. 5 women in my community showed up, and they were gifted in many different areas and they shared “they had caught the vision, don’t close the doors, they came to help” That is a turning point in this organizations life. With their guidance we persevered and haven’t quit. She Brews Coffee and Transition Program is a non-profit. We held our 1st fundraiser with the help of these 5 ladies, moved into a store front where we have been since 2012. We have added 2 locations since that time. An additional coffee shop in Claremore and we were able to expand to Tulsa.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

One of the things that has been most helpful to my organization is working with the media. The local newspapers, the local news channels, multiple magazines for years have reached out and became our link to society.
Of course social media plays a huge roll and I have learned that college interns can bring many skills to our program. We utilize college interns. Also those who love photography as a hobby or 2nd job, have also been very useful. Right now we are working with a stay at home mom, who loves creating graphics as a part time job from home. She is fantastic. We are resourceful, our motto is high impact, low maintenance, and work to achieve this by being open to ideas of customers and employees and clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shebrews.org
• Instagram: @shebrewscoffeeroasters
• Facebook: @shebrewscoffeeroasters
• Youtube: @shebrewscoffeeroasters

Image Credits

Photos by Jessie Robbins