He’s been working hard at Johnny Macs, roaming the halls on one of his missions, or just hanging around watching HGTV. While he’s only been here a few short months, he is already making his impact on the Hill. Meet Jason Renie.
Jason Renie has quickly become a favorite face on the Hill. He is stationed at the beloved Johnny Mac’s Coffee House Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM. Although he has only been around for a couple months, Jason has become the “Go-to” guy. If help is needed making a drink or finding something around the shop, Jason is the person to ask.
Jason has greatly enjoyed his time here on the Hill. His favorite drink to make is “ Barbie Dream’ or the Vanilla Cappuccino which is also his favorite thing to drink himself. Jason has set many goals for the company and he said, “I hope for the company to be successful. I will add to the success by being patient and working well with everyone else.” He also aims to make more orders than the day before each and every day. Jason is all in for his role at Johnny Macs. He said, “Johnny Mac’s is my favorite job I’ve had because it is much more peaceful, relaxing, and I enjoy all of the people I work with.”
Jason is one of five workers at Cathedral’s Coffee shop from an organization called ‘Village of Merici’. ‘Village of Merici’ is a nonprofit organization that provides residential and community opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Cathedral partnered up with the ‘Village of Merici’ for the 2024-2025 school year in hopes to bring some opportunities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Jason has been a part of ‘Village of Merici’ since the beginning. His mom, Coleen Renie started the organization with ten others in her dining room. ‘Village of Merici’ has been around for ten years and is stronger than ever. Jason said he enjoys being a part of ‘Village of Merici’ because, “it’s a good environment for people that have simple disabilities and everyone is so nice that works there and is involved.” The people from Merici came to Cathedral to volunteer and aid in helping run the coffee shop. Without them, Johnny Mac’s being open everyday would not be possible.
Jason was born on July 1st, 1978 here in Indianapolis. Jason is the oldest of four children. He attended Eastwood Middle School and North Central High School. Although North Central was a big school and often overwhelming, Jason said that high school helped make him the person he is today. After High school, Jason worked in construction for six and a half years before switching jobs to work at a grocery store. Now, Cathedral gets the privilege of having Jason Renie on their staff.
Jason lives on his own and enjoys being independent. A typical day in Jason’s life would consist of a 6:00 am wake up call and getting to work by 7:45 am. He works all day in Johnny Mac’s doing whatever he thinks needs to be done. Jason gets off work at 1:30 to go home and relax or run errands if needed. Outside of Johnny Mac’s, Jason lives a pretty peaceful life. When he gets home from work, he often likes to nap, build LEGOS, or watch his favorite shows on HGTV. Jason simply loves to relax. Other things he likes to do are go on walks, go to ‘Village of Merici’ events, meet new people, and play the SIMS video game.
Jason comes to work every day with his own personal Life Skills coach by his side. Lindsay Head ‘01 is a Certified health and wellness coach. She works for ‘Village of Merici’ and was paired with Jason at the beginning of the school year. Lindsay found ‘Village of Merici’ because she said she, “Wanted to focus on the community that needs the most support and I found out about Merici.”
As his coach, she and Jason spend lots of time together. They’ve become quite the duo and have lots of fun together. Lindsay gets to see Jason’s work ethic first hand everyday. She said, “His skills are in line with the needs of running a successful coffee shop. He has an eye for detail. He is so friendly, works well with a team, and is individually motivated.”
Mr. Kurt Freytag is the CEO of the Cathedral Johnny Mac’s Coffee shop. Freytag spends lots of time with Jason as well. As he works alongside Jason and his many special qualities, Mr. Freytag sees the future potential of Johnny Mac’s through Jason’s eyes. Freytag said one of his favorite parts of Jason being at the coffee shop is that, “He is so fun to hang out with.” Jason has many skills that stand out to Freytag but his, “availability and leadership stand out the most.” Since Jason is at Johnny Mac’s everyday, Mr. Freytag mentions how, “Without him we wouldn’t be open everyday and all day long. He is a big help to us.” Freytag finished by saying, “Jason adds the juice to the shop.”
Jason Renie is a valuable addition to the Cathedral community. With his many skills, outstanding personality, and love for his work, Jason is someone that the Cathedral community is thankful to have.
