It's eleven o'clock on a Friday night in Des Moines, Iowa, and at Reggie's Place, things are still in full swing. Teenagers sit and chat—or chow. There's someone singing on the radio. And at a time when most other coffee places are closing up shop for the night, the doors at Reggie's are still wide open—in more ways than one.
Reggie's, you see, isn't just any coffee shop. Sure, its hours (eight p.m. to two a.m.) are unusual. But so is its focus. No, not coffee: teens. More specifically: homeless teens. In fact, Reggie's was created just for them, as a hangout, a refuge, a place to warm hands and feet—and hearts.
That's where people like Mary Beth Williams come in. "My initial reason for getting involved was to find out what these kids were dealing with, so I could be a better spiritual activist," she explains. Mary Beth, a Christian Scientist who attends First Church of Christ, Scientist, Des Moines, was part of the public policy group where the idea for a coffee shop was first floated.
