OLATHE, Kan. — An Olathe nonprofit that helps adults with disabilities enter the workforce needs the community's help after a vehicle drove through its storefront Saturday morning.
PawsAbilities, a store run by Inclusion Connections, sells homemade dog treats and provides work for students with developmental disabilities, guiding them to lead independent lives.
But, Inclusion Connections Executive Director Debbie Horn says she woke up to news Saturday that has halted PawsAbilities' operations.
"I got a call about 7:30 this morning that a car had hit our building," Horn said. "So immediately, (I) just jumped out of bed, came up here to see a car actually in the building, not just hitting the building."
Horn says the crash was accidental, after a woman hit the accelerator instead of the break while attempting to park.
A crash report from the Olathe Police Department was not immediately available.
PawsAbilities will have to stay closed until the store is repaired and safe for students to return. Horn says it is crucial for the store to get back up and running, especially during the holiday season.
"It's a real challenge for this to happen ... this is our busiest time of the year for production," Horn said. "It's all about getting that money in the door to help pay for the program."
Contractors were at work Saturday to help repair the building.
While the crash is a hardship for Inclusion Connections, the silver lining is that nobody was hurt.
"I'm just super grateful that this happened on a Saturday," Horn said. "Typically we have 25 to 30 students in this room where this happened, so it could have been much worse."
Anyone wishing to help PawsAbilities reopen its doors can do so by donating money or purchasing products at pawskc.org.
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