The money raised this year through the Overland Park Mayor’s Holiday Fund will go to support the Golden Scoop as it prepares to open its second location.
The Golden Scoop, a nonprofit ice cream and coffee shop, employs adults who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. The inaugural shop opened in 2021 at 9540 Nall Ave.
“The Golden Scoop is making such an impact in an underserved part of our community; it was an easy choice,” Mayor Curt Skoog said, underlying the success of the original location and the plans for a second shop.
The Golden Scoop’s second location will open at 10460 W. 103rd St. near U.S. Highway 69, also in Overland Park.
Give to the Mayor’s Holiday Fund through Nov. 17
- Community members can give to the Holiday Fund through the Golden Scoop website or the Downtown Overland Park Partnership.
- The city has no specific fundraising goal; however, all proceeds from the Mayor’s Holiday Fund will go toward the Golden Scoop.
- The fundraiser leads up to the Mayor’s Holiday Festival in Thompson Park, where the community will light the holiday tree for the season.
- “It’s been an incredible journey since we opened, but it’s been a lot of hard work building an organization from the ground up,” said Golden Scoop co-founder Amber Schreiber. “The community has been wonderful, and to have civic leaders behind your mission is awesome.”
New Golden Scoop will hire 50 Super Scoopers
- Schreiber told the Post that the Golden Scoop will use the proceeds from the Mayor’s Holiday Fund to support the cost of training and hiring for the new shop.
- Called the Golden Scoop Academy, that training program offers on-the-job learning and technical skills required to work in the shop, as well as coaching on professionalism, interpersonal skills, and health and wellness.
- Schreiber said the organization will hire 50 new Super Scoopers to staff the second location, which will have all the same features as the existing location as well as a drive-thru.
- She said this just expands the Golden Scoop’s ability to offer employment opportunities to a population of people who experience extremely high unemployment rates.
Second Golden Scoop to open in early 2024
- The Golden Scoop expects to start renovations on the old McDonald’s at 103rd Street and U.S. 69 in February.
- The grand opening celebration is currently scheduled for some time in May. The shop will be open seven days a week.
- This new space will have a rotating art display for artists who have developmental and intellectual disabilities on the building’s exterior as well as outdoor seating options.
- Plus, the Golden Scoop hopes to partner with Variety KC to build an adaptive playground on the site.
Major donations helped support Golden Scoop’s new shop
- In addition to the funds to come from the Mayor’s Holiday Fund, the Golden Scoop also got major contributions from other groups to support some of the second location’s development and opening efforts.
- That includes a $200,000 donation from the Sunderland Foundation and $50,000 from ARCare.
- William T. Kemper Foundation Commerce Bank Trustee, 100 Women Who Care and Royals Charities also gave $10,000 apiece.
- Additionally, individual donors gave the Golden Scoop $20,000 toward its second location.
- All said, that’s about $300,000 raised for the second Golden Scoop.
More on the Golden Scoop: Golden Scoop’s plans for second Overland Park ice cream shop take shape
