Earlier last month, our longtime partner Schonfeld Strategic Advisors – who has hired our YES Programme beneficiary Nathan over the past year and a half as their office assistant – invited r é n to be part of their monthly Funky Friday celebrations, and of course, we brought our beloved chef advocate Anthony along. The Casa Cucina chef-owner brought pizzas and snacks to their office, where our founder Jo shared more about our mission with Schonfeld’s staff. Our beneficiary and former Programme Coordinator Nathan was also present to help with the presentation, which, on top of introducing r é n as a social enterprise, also shed light on our R21 Programme graduate Chi Wing and her part-time work at Casa Cucina. 

“It took her a few days to open up and get comfortable, but over time, she warmed up to us,” chef Anthony told us in an earlier interview about his relationship with r é n and community work. “If you keep nurturing them and giving them opportunities, they’ll find a sense of purpose in their work, and they’ll open up and do very well. It’s great to see them find themselves through our work.”