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Zurich honors Café Reconcile with Community Impact Award
Zurich Classic of New Orleans recognized Café Reconcile for their continuous mission of building hope and changing lives. Over the years, Reconcile has helped over 2,000 graduates build a promising foundation through hospitality and culinary skills that are beneficial in their careers and personal development. Zurich noted ” That exponential positive impact is why Zurich is honoring Café Reconcile with the 2022 Zurich Classic Community Impact Award, which includes a $30,000 contribution that the nonprofit can use for any needs. The award is presented as part of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans PGA TOUR event festivities.”
Please click here to learn more about Zurich’s presentation of the Community Impact Award to Café Reconcile.
Garryelle Smooth, a Powerful Woman Indeed
“It felt like a family the day I walked in to fill my application.”
The year was 2012. Reconcile’s building needed renovation. Garryelle Smooth, a new Intern, needed hope. She and her mother entered the temporary building across the street to fill out an Intern Application. Immediately, she felt at home.
Garryelle would complete the program and graduate in that temporary building. Her mother was sick on Graduation Day and unable to watch Garryelle receive her Reconcile diploma. In November of 2012, Garryelle’s mother passed away. The Smooth family needed us.
At that time, she was working at Fresh Bar and kept in touch with Onassis Jones, Reconcile’s longest tenured current employee, about other job opportunities.
“We didn’t have insurance at the time my mom passed away. Reconcile helped us with that. Mr. Onassis came to bring us meals and check in on us,” Garryelle said.
Garryelle has five siblings. As she worded it, “Bills still needed to be paid.”
Café Reconcile offered Garryelle a position as Trainer Advocate, formerly known as Graduate Trainer. From 2013 to 2017, Garryelle worked in the hospitality industry, honing her skills, interacting with people, building a future for her and her family.
Toward the end of 2017, a full-time barista position opened at The Roosevelt Hotel. They needed Garryelle to start immediately, and she did. Six months later, she moved to a new position in the hotel, the same job she works today. Today, Garreylle can be found as one of The Roosevelt’s Fountain Lounge’s best waitresses. Her work ethic proved that she could do anything she put her mind to, so in 2018, she graduated from Delgado Community College with an associate’s degree in Business Management and a concentration in Entrepreneurship.
Her hope for the next year is to earn her bachelor’s degree from UNO while she continues to support her family working at The Roosevelt Hotel.
This July, Reconcile honors Garryelle Smooth as our Powerful Woman in Fidelity Bank’s POWER PLATES initiative. She is not only a leader in the hospitality industry, but she also gives back to Reconcile by serving on the 2021 Board of Directors. Garryelle’s brother Fred said it best:
When I lost all hope, Garryelle was the inspiration that I needed. A great person, a great leader, and very positive. She played a major role in my life, and if I’m being honest, she is who’s to thank for me being the person I am today. If there’s a dark tunnel, Garryelle could shine light on it. If something is out of line, Garryelle could straighten it out. She’s filled with joy, creativity, love, prosperity, and happiness. Not only is she a powerful woman, but she is a powerful person. So I can’t think of another person that deserves this more than she does. – Fred Smooth, Garryelle’s brother
P.S. Fun Fact – Garryelle and her brother are also co-workers! You can see them in action at The Roosevelt Hotel’s Fountain Lounge working side by side.
