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
Do things to the best you are able. Do not take the easy route and compromise quality.
Communication
Communicate feelings and thoughts clearly, and also listen to those of others. Empathy is a part of healthy communication, so have empathy when listening to others.
Humility
Have a teachable spirit, and always have a desire to learn. Never assume you already know.
Consistency
Be reliable, let your yes be yes. If you say you are going to show up to a place at a certain time, be there. Follow through with your words.
Initiative
Do not wait for someone to tell you or teach you. Take the initiative to go and learn on your own, then do it.
Hard work
You reap what you sow. If you work lazy, you will be treated that way. Work hard, and earn what you want.
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.
Jessica and 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.
Blaine Cash
Blaine Cash, lives in Dwight, KS with his wife Laura and their three children, Benaiah, Clara, and Hannah. He serves as a Financial Advisor with Thrivent. Growing up Blaine experienced first hand what it was like to live in a poverty stricken and fatherless home. He whole heartedly believes in our mission and the impact that it WILL have as God’s Kingdom comes alive here on earth.
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.
Kayla Beyer
Hi, my name is Kayla! I am currently a student at Washburn University studying psychology and leadership and I’m an airman at the 190th ARW. I grew up in Ogden and was heavily involved in the ministry and got to directly benefit from youth nights, the House Cafe and teen center, but most of all mentorship. I was asked to be on the board to give a youth’s perspective in 2019 when I had just turned 17. I have decided to stay on the board, despite moving to Topeka and becoming a full-time student, because I care deeply about the youth in Ogden. I am so grateful to still be involved and give back a portion of what was given to me!