For the last year and a half, the students have been running a Friday morning cafe, which not only helps their teachers start the day but also raises money for children fighting cancer.

Every other week, the Brew Crew, as they’ve come to be known, wake up early to prepare their coffee stations and arrange the pastries they baked. By 7:15 a.m., everything is ready for faculty and staff arriving to start the school day.

“Every time we have the cafe, we have a line of teachers and staff that come down,” said Life Skills Teacher Andrea Royer.

The cafe began as a way to raise money for their classmate, Rees Stewart, who was battling acute myeloid leukemia at Geisinger in Danville. The students made menus, set up the cafe, spread the word and cooked for faculty and staff.

Doughnuts made by The Brew Crew are pictured on a baking sheet. PHOTO PROVIDED

“It was a massive success!” said Lillian James, a paraeducator who works with the class.

By the end of last school year, the Brew Crew had raised and donated $1,000 to Stewart and his family to help with treatment costs. Stewart is now a year in remission and has started his first job, but the Brew Crew wasn’t finished just yet.

This year, the students expanded their menu and continued providing for staff across the building.

And the money they raised? On Tuesday, they donated all $1,234.35 of it to BAHS student council’s “Mini Thon,” which funds childhood cancer research. The donation was made before the school board, who were treated to sweets made by the students, which were well received.

As well as funding a good cause, the cafe teaches students functional reading and math, as well as social skills and independence.

PHOTO PROVIDED The Brew Crew, students in Bellefonte Area High School’s Life Skills Classroom, prepare food ahead of their most recent cafe on Friday, May 8.

“Over the course of the year, I have watched these students grow tremendously and get opportunities to connect with staff and faculty, who otherwise wouldn’t have crossed their path,” James said. “These boys have worked so incredibly hard.”

PHOTO PROVIDED The Brew Crew, students in Bellefonte Area High School’s Life Skills Classroom, prepare food ahead of their most recent cafe on Friday, May 8.

PHOTO PROVIDED The Brew Crew, students in Bellefonte Area High School’s Life Skills Classroom, prepare food ahead of their most recent cafe on Friday, May 8.

PHOTO PROVIDED The Brew Crew, students in Bellefonte Area High School’s Life Skills Classroom, prepare food ahead of their most recent cafe on Friday, May 8.