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

Robin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

As a family we were playing board games at a local business when the thought hit us that we could use the idea to help provide a future for my youngest daughter. She had already graduated from high school but there was not much for her to do after that in our county. So we expanded the idea of playing board games to offering vocational training skills to individuals with special abilities.

Robin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Robin Kane. My husband, Michael, and I have lived in Avon for 28 years, raised our four children here, and are now starting a nonprofit organization in Lorain County, “I’m Possible Games”.

Our youngest child, Shelby, participated in the special education program in the Avon school district since preschool, age 3. The daily support she received from teachers, administrators, and classmates over the years was critical to her ability to socialize and engage as a member of the community. We came to realize after she graduated that when special education students leave high school, they lose all access to the support system that has meant so much to their lives for many years. Their socialization becomes diminished and the loss affects them greatly.

To bridge the gap from adolescence to adulthood, we are starting a nonprofit organization, an interactive board game business, with the purpose of bringing jobs to the area for individuals, like Shelby, with special abilities. When given an opportunity to develop with others in the workplace, these young men and women with special abilities can shine. We hope that one day soon you will be able to join us at “I’m Possible Games” in a place of our own, and as our slogan says; “Come for the Games, Stay for the Smiles”.

We continue to seek a permanent location where we can offer appetizers, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and fun games to play! Until that time comes, we will be hosting game nights (or afternoons) in local churches and businesses. These events are free, open to everyone, and no registration is required. We travel with an assortment of fun and strategic games for all ages and abilities to play. To date we have collected over 700 games. Please consider joining us for one or all of our events. Bring your friends, family, or come alone and make some new friends! If you, or someone you know, would be interested in having us host a game night at your location, please contact us to make arrangements. We would be happy to bring our games to you.

Once we have our permanent location, we will have the ability to teach job skills to individuals with special abilities. Our goal is to connect with local businesses who can employ these talented individuals, help them realize their full potential within the community, promote their inclusion in the workforce, and ultimately improve their quality of life. Everyone, regardless of ability, will be welcome into “I’m Possible Games” to enjoy the experience! If you are aware of a local facility, preferably within Lorain County, that would be available to us to rent please let us know..

You can follow us on FB and IG to keep up to date on our events and our progress.

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

As a start up and a nonprofit we have hit road blocks multiple times in trying to find a permanent location for our cafe. Landlords do not want to take chances on startups. It seems most landlords are looking for national businesses and chains. Unfortunately, this has hit us hard, but we will not give up until we find our place. We know we have a great concept and we believe it is needed in our County so we will keep going.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Because we are starting this business as a family we are self funding for now. We are also accepting donations and have had a couple of fundraisers. We plan to continue the fundraising efforts in order to meet our financial goals. When the time comes that we can apply for grants we will be doing that as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.im.possiblegamescage.com
• Instagram: @im_possible_games
• Facebook: @im.possible.games.cafe

Image Credits

Robin Kane