About Us.
Transforming the lives of our youth, one cup of coffee at a time.
OUR MISSION
The House Cafe truly begins in 2010. Chris and Quinn Jacobs began helping with a game night for local teenagers in Ogden. Over time they took over this game night and witnessed injustices in Ogden, teens were dropping out of school, some were facing addiction, others faced unemployment when they were 19 and 20 years old. Out of this God gave them the vision for The House Cafe. Today the House Cafe is where teens can volunteer, earn promotions, and work their way to a paid internship. The coffee shop provides college scholarships, and pays for the attached Youth Recreation Center where teens can go and hang out on weekends. The coffee shop has grown to a staff of committed adults who are investing in the lives of local teens holistically (helping with homework, choosing and enrolling in a college, finding jobs, finding apartments, providing recreational activities, and more).
Our PASSION
Our passion is to confront mentalities and behaviors that lead to a life of dependency and poverty. From our experience we have seen that people living in poverty are not free, they need resources, programs, and opportunities to be provided. Our goal is to come alongside our kids and youth, and equip them with a mentality of self-sufficiency, and to give them tools, and require accountability in the implementation of these tools. Our passion is that the kids we work with grow up into adults who take care of and provide for themselves.
CORE VALUES
Spirit of Excellence
We commit to doing our best every day, focusing on growth, accountability, and going above and beyond in all that we do.
Humility
We remain teachable and open to correction, always seeking growth through feedback and new perspectives.
Compassion
We respond to others with grace, patience, and love, helping them grow while acknowledging hard truths.
Independence
We take responsibility for our roles with wisdom and confidence, encouraging solutions that build self-reliance without fostering dependence.
Relationships
We prioritize genuine, caring connections by listening deeply, showing no favoritism, and valuing people over problems.
Our Board of directors
Chris Jacobs
executive director
Chris grew up in Topeka, KS. He dropped out of high school his junior year. After multiple years of not doing much, he decided to get his GED and join the army. He deployed to Iraq in 2008, where he made the decision to follow Jesus and the teachings of the bible. Coming back from Iraq in 2009, Chris was attending KSU for his undergrad in history, and began to get involved in a youth group in Ogden as a volunteer. Chris was persuing a career in teaching history, when God changed his story. Shortly after getting married in 2011, Chris and Quinn made the decision to move to Ogden to lead the youth group. Chris has been working with the students in Ogden since 2010.
Jonathan Anschutz
Director of Operations
I was born and raised in Wichita, KS, but first came to the area when I attended K-State for Civil Engineering. My wife volunteered at the House Café as a barista, and I found out what the House Café was through her. Over the last year and a half of my college career, I became more involved with the teenagers in Ogden, trying to live life alongside them and show them who Jesus is. My wife and I made the decision to move to Ogden in my last semester when we felt like God was directing us away from our dreams and desires to His vision and plans. Being on the board is one of the ways I try to live according to God’s calling and to give the community of Ogden the chance to be transformed.
Sarah and David Adkins
“We have been in the Manhattan area for about 13 years, and the last 10 of those have been spent developing and running various small businesses. When we first heard of The House Cafe, we were involved in a coffee shop ourselves, and were able to share things we had learned. Since then, we have enjoyed seeing the success of The House, but even more than that, we’ve loved witnessing the heart of Christ being worked out through the team of people who work daily to bring about good in the Ogden community.”
Billie Anttila
My name is Billie Anttila and I am the program director at The Way Early Learning Center. I am married to Lance Anttila, and we have 2 children, 4 grandchildren, a dog named Bailey, and a cat named Simon. We moved to Ogden in 1997 via the military, where my husband retired in 2007. My first experience working with preschoolers was in 1990 in Germany. I had a friend, both her and her husband were military and needed someone to watch their 2 yr old during Desert Storm. Through the Army Family Child Care (FCC) training, I opened a home daycare to provide for my friends child. During this time, God revealed his Son Jesus to me in 1991, and I chose to follow him. I, persay, never was looking to work with preschoolers as a profession or ministry, but God had different plans for me. We moved to Virginia in 1993 after leaving Germany.
TJ Beyer
My name is Terry G. Beyer Jr., but everyone knows me as TJ Beyer. I’m 37 years old and have lived in Ogden for about 30 years. I work for the City of Ogden as a maintenance worker, and I take great pride in serving and helping keep our community running smoothly.
My wife and I bought our home in Ogden in 2019 and we are the proud parents of a wonderful daughter, who inspires us every day to be the best version of ourselves. Family is everything to me. In addition to my work, I’m actively involved in my community and believe in giving back whenever I can—whether through volunteering or simply lending a helping hand to a neighbor in need.
I’ve always had a deep love for animals and do what I can to support their well-being. We have many animals that we care for in our home where we spend a lot of time.
Rhea
Student Board Member
Lynn Blecha
Bio coming soon!