Nyack nonprofit bakery gives young adults with special needs chance to work and learn

Shiri Reuveni-Ullrich is a speech therapist, a breast cancer survivor and the founder and president of Rising Above Bakery.

News 12 Staff

Mar 2, 2023, 1:34 PM

Updated 588 days ago

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A new Nyack bakery is giving young adults with special needs a chance to work and learn life skills.
Shiri Reuveni-Ullrich is a speech therapist, a breast cancer survivor and the founder and president of Rising Above Bakery, a nonprofit started during the pandemic out of her Chestnut Ridge home.
"The job opportunities for individuals with special needs are so slim and at times, not so meaningful. And what I would like to do is to turn their life into a meaningful life,” she says.
The nonprofit is working out of their new temporary location given to them by Rockland Community College on Main Street in Nyack.
The bakery has employed around eight people with disabilities, as well as eight support staff.
Christopher DeGennaro, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, has been working at the bakery for a year and says he is a fan of the sweet perks.
"I've learned how to bake cookies, bread, scones, crackers. You name it, I've baked it here,” he says. “"I like all kinds of things to taste since taste testing is actually part of the job here at Rising Above."
Rising Above Bakery is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the next few months in Nyack.
The nonprofit bakery is actively looking for a permanent home once they leave their current spot in a few months.