Cup of Joe celebrates milestone

Cup of Joe celebrated a monumentous milestone with a special meeting on Wednesday morning, welcoming new and familiar faces to hear about the history of the entrepreneurship program.

The founding members of Cup of Joe hosted a 10-year anniversary discussion on Wednesday, Feb. 26, speaking about their experiences with the program throughout the last 10 years, sharing personal anecdotes and remembering the beginning of the group.

Sarah DeGarmo, one of the original members, shared more about the origins of the group.

"Being an entrepreneur is really hard," DeGarmo said. "A lot of the founding members are entrepreneurs. And so, knowing that, there was a huge push to create a community where entrepreneurs could gather, enjoy one another's company, share in the struggles and encourage one another and to brainstorm ideas to keep going as businesses here locally."

Another founding member, Lura Landis, shared that she thinks the group is close.

"It's a grassroots group," Landis said. "We don't have any funding, we do everything on our own. And so I think that makes it more close to the heart."

Landis went on to explain why she thinks the program has done so well over the years.

"I think it's a testimony to the human spirit in a way," Landis said. "It's a testimony to people who want to better themselves, who want to help others."

Cup of Joe meets every at 8:30 a.m. every Wednesday morning at the East Hills Library, located at 502 N. Woodbine Rd, in St. Joseph. 

Two entrepreneurs present each week, sharing the stories of their businesses and giving advice to fellow business owners.