Loving Father Buys An Ice Cream Truck For His Two Children With Down Syndrome So They Can Sell Their Ice Cream

Jul 28, 2021 by apost team

Starting a family business can be a great way to bond and come together as a joint unit. Along with this, it’s a fun way to spend extra time together while having the chance to provide a service to your local community. For one father in Ohio, investing in an opportunity for a family business venture meant more to him than the typical hopeful entrepreneur. Joel Wegener from Loveland, Ohio, had been concerned about the employment opportunities available for his two adult children with Down syndrome, so he purchased an ice cream truck where they could sell ice cream to local residents.

After planning and coming up with plenty of ideas, the family was ready to begin the next stage of their careers together. In April 2021, the family officially launched their business, and became more than just family members as they were now also co-workers. The idea turned out to be a pretty sweet one in a few different ways, as Wegener and his family were able to bond even more together while selling sweet treats, such as ice cream, popsicles, ice cream sandwiches and other frozen treats, to many people along the way. 

The ice cream truck operation is called Special Neat Treats, and has been loved by many people in their local community, and has now grabbed the attention of many others across the state. Driving around various cities and towns throughout Ohio, the family has welcomed plenty of new customers and met people along the way who are supportive of their mission and business venture.

The Sweet Family Business

“It started out as an idea to sell ice cream,” Wegener told WLWT. “Now, it’s so much bigger than that.” The Wegener family has been hard at work selling treats from their ice cream truck called Special Neat Treats. Wegener’s wife Freida came up with the name, as per the Daily Mail. Wegener runs the family business alongside his children Josh, who is 18, and Mary Kate, who is 21. 

The Daily Mail reported that the family business venture had given Wegener’s adult children the opportunity to be employed as well as learn about finances and build their social skills. Most importantly, they have proven to their local community just how much people with different abilities can do.

After finishing a career program for people with disabilities, Mary Kate was ready to look for employment. Wegener told WLWT that Mary Kate had always wanted to work with him, which led to him finding a way to do just that. When the family first had ideas about the ice cream truck business, Wegener explained that it was “just natural” to bring Mary Kate and Josh in to come work on the truck and sell ice cream.

The Daily Mail reported that the Wegener family purchased an ice cream truck from a family with disabilities, and were officially open for business in April 2021. They drove the truck around Cincinnati and held many events to attract new customers. According to WLWT, the family has sold almost 5,000 desserts so far. The Daily Mail reported that, in the future, Wegener hopes to purchase more trucks and hire more people with different abilities.

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