Casey's Tastey's is becoming a hot feature at fairs, town events and children's festivals around Hartford, Connecticut this summer. Several Casey foster youth, parents and staff have been working very hard to organize and create this youth-run fruit smoothie stand, and their efforts are paying off in very real ways.

The debut for the fledgling business was the popular Riverfest in downtown Hartford on July 3. Adopting a tropical theme, the Casey's Tastey's tent was decorated to look like a tiki hut with palm trees, beach balls, hanging pineapples, grass table skirts, and festive table cloths. Youth, foster parents and staff alike all wore grass skirts and lei around their necks.

Each 16 oz. strawberry or peach smoothie was served in a Casey Family Services reusable yellow plastic stadium cup (helping to recruit new foster families) and sold for $3.00. In all, the youth totalled a profit of $259.00 in sales. The youth workers -- who spoke to the customers, handled the money and managed the entire business right down to disassembling the tent -- were also paid for their time (an amount determined by the youth). But the benefits were more than monetary.

Through the venture, the youth are learning how to earn and manage money, work with customers, manage time and stress, develop a work ethic and work as a team. Part of the profit earned from each Casey's Tastey's event will be used to replenish business supplies. And the youth will decide how to spend what is left over.

According to Social Worker T.J. Michalski, "Another lesson learned for us was how great a resource our foster families are. They are ready, willing and more than able to assist us in our work," he said.

"The committee we formed to help get this event off the ground worked extremely well together and is yearning for more opportunities," he added. "We will continue to meet throughout the summer with the youth to address business issues and make Casey's Tastey's a fun, viable youth business that provides our staff a lens through which to view their youths' job readiness skills."

Casey youth participating in Casey's Tastey's are Michael M., Brittany A., Robert T., Kiara M., Michelle S., and Glenda Lee C., with more youth joining in the future. Foster families helping to get the business off the ground are Jim Christopher and his son, James, Carolynn Luce, Christine Reed and Amy Miller. Staff include Kristin Taylor, Kurt Arsenault, Tracey Holdridge and Joseph Huertas, as well as T.J. Michalski.

In the future the young entrepreneurs will be required to apply and interview for higher ranking, "management" positions. The individuals promoted to these supervisor or management level positions will receive a higher wage, commensurate with their increased job responsibilities. In time, Casey's Tastey's will be a completely youth-run business. In the meantime, its creative and energetic team are researching additional events to participate in for 2004 and beyond.