KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo’s Probation Enhancement Program (KPEP) celebrated the grand opening of its WP Diner @ Washington Square on Thursday, November 17.
After a successful launch of KPEP’s Walnut & Park Café in 2017, the Kalamazoo-based community corrections provider is expanding its program with the new full-service diner.
The morning’s event kicked off with a VIP reception and continued with the public grand opening featuring a full menu plus breakfast along with lunch specials and free coffee and cookies.
The VIP program included remarks from William DeBoer, president and CEO of KPEP, State Representative Julie Rogers of Kalamazoo, and Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey S. Getting, also a member of the KPEP Board of Directors.
Like the Walnut & Park Café, the diner is largely staffed by current and former KPEP residents who are students or graduates of the KPEP Hospitality Vocational Training Program.
KPEP’s Hospitality Vocational Training program is an 8-week course that provides students hands-on job training and is guided by a daily curriculum, weekly testing and certification awarded upon successful completion.
In addition to classroom sessions, students gain experience in the demonstration room and production kitchen and experience working at the café and diner. Graduates are eligible for paid employment at the café and diner, or they fill jobs in the community.
Participants are referred by the Michigan Department of Corrections, Federal Bureau of Prisons, local courts and law enforcement and come to KPEP facilities in Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor and Paw Paw from all across Michigan.
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