Our Next Speaker

Garth Larcen, Executive Director, Positive Vibe Training Board 2021

Inspired by his son Max, age 30, graduate of Blessed Sacrament High School and two year student of VCU, Garth Larcen is the founder of Max's Positive Vibe Cafe. Max's Positive Vibe Cafe provides training for people with disabilities; his son has Muscular Dystrophy. Prior to the Cafe, Garth established the GLMD Foundation in 2001 - a charitable foundation to operate a training restaurant for people with disabilities called Max's Positive Vibe Cafe.

The Cafe opened January 2005 and has successfully trained and/or employed 200 people with either cognitive or physical disabilities. It also has received awards from the National Restaurant Association for the States Community Neighborhood Award, from the Virginia State Board of Education and Career Transitional Department as the Employer of the Year, and locally, from The Virginia Museum for Creativity in Business and the Chamber of Commerce for innovative employment programs.

Furthermore, Max's Positive Cafe received the first Outstanding Achievement Award from the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities in January 2006. It is also one of two non-profit organizations recognized nationally as the recipient of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy New Freedom Initiative Award October 24, 2007. Further more, Positive Vibe Cafe was selected as Employer of the Year by the National Division on Career Development & Transition, April 2008, and recognized by the Valentine Richmond History Center as a 2008 Richmond History Maker for Demonstrating Innovative Solutions.

The zoom room will open at 12:20 pm and meeting will begin promptly at 12:30 pm.  If you are interested in attending, please email club member Paul Neumann at paul3107@yahoo.com.