Chopped strawberries, frozen blueberries, spinach and ice: Blend them altogether and what do you get? Lots of noise, laughter and a delicious smoothie made by adults with ‘disAbilities.’

For the first time, individuals from the Life Enrichment Center (LEC) in Milledgeville are taking a “Food Safety 101” course through Georgia College’s Continuing and Professional Education program.

Undergraduates support these adults as they learn basic kitchen skills like hand washing, appliance safety, safe food preparation, cleaning and sanitization. 

“We’ve been waiting 20 years for this kind of course,” said Barbara Coleman, executive director of LEC. “We had seven college interns and seven candidates, a willing teacher and everything just came together.” 

In May, LEC adults will ‘graduate’ with certificates of completion. These will help them get jobs preparing and serving food at the university dining hall and other food establishments in town. 

Their new skills will also be used to open a café at LEC next month, where adults with disabilities will offer coffee, smoothies and healthy snacks to the community. 

Senior political science major Zayne Kemler of Griffin wanted to get involved and help LEC adults gain real-world experience. In class, he’s paired with a talkative and lively young man with Down’s Syndrome.