Collette Divito is driven by a desire to work hard and to succeed. Born with Down syndrome, however, she faced challenges finding a job upon graduation. Following her passion for baking, she began testing cookie recipes, developing an original recipe that friends and family agree is simply amazing – leading to its name, “The Amazing Cookie.” This signature treat led to a growing business, Collettey’s Cookies, which employs people with disabilities or special needs.
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Like many businesses, however, the pandemic presented challenges for Collettey’s growth. Collette and her team had been operating in a shared kitchen space in the North End of Boston, where they had limited kitchen access. Pandemic-related safety protocols complicated things.
Enter RSM. The firm’s Boston office has an industrial grade kitchen, which was going unused during the pandemic. Chris MacKenzie, Boston office leader, had an idea. Why not make the space available to Collette and her team so they could continue operating and growing?
“We’re honored to be able to support Collette and her business, and plan to continue that support going forward.”
This past winter, Collettey’s Cookies moved in to RSM’s kitchen at 80 City Square, where they’ve been baking cookies and delighting customers’ taste buds ever since (and filling the office space with the amazing aroma of freshly baked cookies) – all while providing meaningful employment to those in need.
And Collette has even bigger plans. Her ultimate goal is to work with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to create policies that will increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities and to enhance people’s perceptions around the capabilities of this underrepresented population. And she plans to do all of this while continuing to bake delicious cookies, with a little bit of help from her friends…like RSM.
“Collettey’s Cookies’ mission of supporting the community and making the world better is aligned with RSM’s own value of stewardship and leaving things better than we find them,” said MacKenzie. “We’re honored to be able to support Collette and her business, and plan to continue that support going forward.”
If you want to try Collettey’s Cookies yourself, place your order today. A percentage of all sales is donated to Collette’s nonprofit, Collettey’s Leadership Programs, which helps those in the disabled community enter the workforce.
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