After 26 Project - Cafe and Unique Gift Shop...

News & Developments...

5-17-12
GOLD BENEFACTOR DONATION
The After26 board of directors is thrilled to announce a $10,000 Gold Benefactor Donation . The generous gift is a DTE Energy Foundation Grant which will be used for critical mechanical needs including electrical and plumbing repair at the future home of the After26 Depot. Special thanks to Steve Rawlings and Wilbur Potvin who were instrumental in making this DTE Energy Foundation Grant a reality. Click here to view the story as reported on 9 & 10 News.

3-3-12
BENEFACTOR CAMPAIGN
For individuals and groups that desire to play a primary role in the mission to offer employment opportunities for special needs adults in Wexford, Missaukee, & Osceola Counties, please consider a gift to the After 26 Benefactor Campaign. Your donation will be pivotal in creating jobs for the most vulnerable among us. Depending on the level of your gift, your name will be displayed on the After26 Depot Benefactor plaque prominently displayed in the cafe. In addition, your name will be listed on the Benefactor Page on the After26 web site, and upon opening the cafe, on table topper signs. Click here for more information.

11-29-11
LEASE SIGNED WITH THE AMVET
It's official, the home of the After26 Depot Cafe & Unique Gifts is the AMVET building at 127 West Cass in downtown Cadillac. Numerous renovations will soon be underway the facility will be open in 2012. Click here to view the story as reported on MInews26 TV. The AMVET building, located at the corner of Cass and Lake Street, is the original Ann Arbor Railroad Depot which opened for business in 1911.

11-29-11
LEASE SIGNING COVERED BY REGIONAL MEDIA
The news conference held on 11-29-11 to announce and hold the official signing of a 20-year lease between the After26 Project and the AMVET was covered by the Cadillac News, 9 & 10 News, and MInews26.

10-5-11
PIONEER CONSTRUCTION TO WORK AS DESIGN / PROJECT MANAGERS
The After26 Project board of directors has voted to work with Pioneer Construction for the design and renovation of the AMVET Building at 127 West Cass in Cadillac, which will be the home of the After 26 Cafe' & Unique Gifts. The After 26 board of directors is especially pleased that Afghanistan war veteran, architect and Cadillac resident Paul Gaffke will oversee the entire project from start to finish. Paul Gaffke is a senior architect at Pioneer Construction, which is based in Grand Rapids.

8-12-11
$75,000 rural development grant awarded by the USDA
After26 is thrilled to announce the United States Department of Agriculture has awarded a $75,000 rural development grant to the After26 Project! It means we will be able to open the restaurant and fulfill our mission of providing 30 special needs jobs. Much work remains and we are still in need of funding, but our goal is within reach. Special thanks to Allen Anderson and Caroline Evans of the Traverse City office of the USDA! Click here to view press release.

9-9-10
New Video released
Click here to view the After26 Project video
(PLEASE NOTE * video is 6:58 in length-could take up to 5 minutes to load - please be patient)