Mini O'Beirne Crisis Nursery coffee crawl kicks off in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Mini O'Beirne Crisis Nursery is hosting their first coffee crawl fundraiser this weekend. Each coffee shop involved is choosing to donate a portion of their sales to help the non-profit keep their doors open.

The businesses involved with the coffee crawl are:

Scoop DeJour (Chatham)
Brezie's Roasted Beans (Southern View)
Mockingbird (Rochester)
Hae's Bakery & Coffee Shop (Jefferson and Wabash locations)
Custom Cup (Springfield)
Wm Van's Cafe (Springfield)
The Wakery (Springfield)
Stella Coffee and Tea (Springfield)
Yellow Bird Coffee House (Springfield)
The Cats' Pyjamas Cat Cafe (Springfield)
Scooters (Springfield and Taylorville locations)

The Mini O'Beirne Crisis Nursery provides 24/7 emergency childcare to any parent who needs it, as well as emergency supplies like formula and diapers. Executive Director Chriss Wilson said she was blown away by how enthusiastic the business owners were to help the nursery.

"We just were thinking, 'let's just get this going, let's see what the interest is,'" said Wilson. "But we ended up with 13 shops and 15 locations, which is crazy to me. There's such an eagerness to support what we do."

One of those business owners is Bree Richardson, who opened Brezie's Roasted Beans last year. As a mom herself, Richardson said it was a no-brainer to help support the nursery through her business.

"When I opened, my main goal was just to be a part of the community," said Richardson. "Being able to have that connection and be a part of it just means the world to me."

Richardson said she was shocked by how many people visited the store in just the first day of the fundraiser. She hopes that more people stop by on Saturday to help support the nursery.

Wilson said while the nursery receives some funding from grants and other organizations, they are responsible for fundraising almost half of their operating budget.

"We've had over 2,400 admissions since July 1st of 2024, now some of those children have been to us more than once," said Wilson. "We've provided over 15,000 hours of child care since July 1st."

Wilson hopes to continue the coffee crawl as an annual fundraiser if it goes well this weekend.