Riley Hurst could be the poster child for The Point/Arc’s success. Hurst came to the organization to make friends and come out of his shell; then, he discovered The Point Perk.
The 19-year-old Fort Wright resident admits he had a hard time making friends.
“I was a quiet kid,” Hurst said. “I am on the Autism Spectrum, and my mom thought it best for me to at least visit The Point/Arc. She thought it would help me socially.”
Hurst started working for The Point Perk coffee shop in May 2021 and can be found behind the counter as a barista and cashier.
“I love it. It’s a great place,” Hurst said. “Lots of friendly people come in. All of our regulars know me now, and I know what they want unless they change it up on me. I’ll have it ready for them a couple of seconds after they walk in, and it’s ready.”
The Point Perk is one of four social enterprises offered at The Point/Arc, located at 45 W. Pike Street, Covington.
It opened in 2015 “as a way for the community to come in for a feel-good cup of coffee and to see our mission in action,” said Judi Gerding, founder and president of The Point/Arc.
The organization began in 1972 by a group of parents fighting for their children’s educational rights who were diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental disability.
Its mission is to help people with disabilities achieve their highest potential educationally, socially, residentially and vocationally. More than this, The Point/Arc has been an organization that identifies gaps in services and provides care and support to fill these gaps – even when government funding sources are not available.
Hurst found out he was on the autism spectrum not long ago. Even more recently, he found out he has a rare genetic condition.
“I’m on the autism spectrum, and with my size and weight, I found out I have a rare genetic condition called KIDINS220,” Hurst said. “The Gene is located on a chromosome, and it is linked to obesity and intellectual development issues.”
When he was younger, Hurst had issues with his eyes and had to wear an eye patch to help correct them. He never received answers to why until he was diagnosed with KIDINS220.
“We found out recently what everything is connected with this gene,” Hurst said. “They tried everything on me when I was younger, and we could never figure anything out. There was a research panel somewhere, and I think I did a nasal swab or throat swab, and they sent it in and got those results. I got the results 10 weeks ago.”
Hurst graduated from Covington Catholic High School in May 2021. After graduating, he started taking courses at Gateway Community and Technical College, where he has since earned his General Business Certificate. Hurst is currently working on his Payroll Accounting Certificate and will finish those classes in May. Hurst said he hopes to find a full-time job somewhere working in payroll or as a receptionist when he is done with school.
“I was thinking about it my whole life,” Hurst said. “When I was a kid seeing someone doing everything at once, answering the phone, checking people in on the computer, I just thought it was so cool.”
Though Hurst enjoys working for The Point Perk, he looks forward to getting a full-time job.
