PHOTO: A toast to inclusivity and conversation.
SAFE SPACE AND COFFEE CAKE Ornery Vets Café owner Joel Laufman understands the importance of inclusion STORY BY MALLORY PORVAZNIK | PHOTOS BY JAE SMITH AND PROVIDED
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oel Laufman’s bright eyes and wide smile greet customers at the handicapped accessible door. Always available for conversation, his open demeanor makes all who enter Ornery Vets Café in Athens feel immediately comfortable. Customers sit in the vibrant red chairs, snacking on USA sugar cookies and sipping on drinks with names like “Berry Happy,” “The Kermit Special” and “Orange You Smooth.” Some indulge in cinnamon rolls while the more health-conscious crunch on vitamin-packed salads. A large blue mural of the café’s logo and hand-painted symbols of each branch of the U.S. military, which represent the inspiration of the café, take up most of the wall near the door. Laufman himself is a veteran, serving in the Vietnam War. He was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder from his experiences overseas. An Ohio University (Athens) alumnus, Laufman taught high school and junior high for 35 years after receiving 10 | WINTER/SPRING 2022
his master’s degree in Educational Administration. He explains that, after his retirement and his wife’s passing, his mental health again took a turn for the worse, and he was inspired to open a café to bring together the veterans of Southeast Ohio with similar struggles. “I thought it would help me to help others with my experience as a veteran,” Laufman says. He describes PTSD as something that a ects everyone di erently. “It does not matter if you are young or old, black or white, male or female, it hits everybody like a sledgehammer,” Laufman says. Opening the café and talking about his war wounds made Laufman realize that his own mental health struggles were shared with other people in the community. Not only have veterans been taking advantage of the Café, but Laufman also explains that first respond survivors of trauma, people struggling with depression and survivors of sexual assault meet at the café. Ornery Vets is a 501C3 nonprofit organization. “There
