Rachel buzzed around Johnson's new light-filled coffee shop, wiping down counters, artfully arranging pastries in a display case and flashing her infectious smile with every steaming cup of joe she handed to a customer.

"Rachel is our star employee," her manager remarked last week.

While Rachel's talents are apparent to customers, she is facing difficulties that are largely invisible.

Rachel, who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her privacy, is in recovery and living in sober housing. She was also among the first employees hired to work at Jenna's Coffee House, which opened in late November. The business is one of several in Johnson associated with Jenna's Promise, a nonprofit that takes a comprehensive approach to treating substance-use disorder.

The café sources its coffee beans from Jenna's Promise Roasting Co. Down the street, the nonprofit opened a discount store called JP's Promising Goods in 2021. All three businesses primarily employ people in recovery, most of whom live in sober housing that the nonprofit has developed downtown.

While some Johnson residents had initial reservations about hosting a recovery center, many now say they've been pleasantly surprised by the outcome. The nonprofit's enterprises, which use formerly vacant buildings downtown, are not only creating opportunities and housing for people in recovery but are also breathing new life into the Lamoille County town.

"I've been amazed by how supportive this community is," Rachel said in between coffee orders. "They just want to see us do well."

Ashley Donahue, a lifelong resident of Johnson, said she was glad to finally have a coffee shop close to home. She's been impressed by the nonprofit's work: "It's exciting to see the new stuff they've put into the town. Before, there were a whole lot of empty buildings."

Jenna's Promise is also providing a commodity that has become precious these days — workers. The café, for instance, is a collaboration between the nonprofit and Two Sons Bakehouse, which also has locations in Jeffersonville and Hyde Park.

"It's not just helping the employees," explained Bill Hoag, founder and owner of Two Sons Bakehouse. "It's helping people like me who are running a business in this area. It's hard to find people that want to work right now ... Why wouldn't you give somebody a chance if there's nobody else that wants to work?"

The community-based model that Jenna's Promise has developed was inspired directly by the life experiences of the nonprofit's namesake: Jenna Tatro. She was an avid equestrian and animal lover who tended to see the best in everybody. Her family recalls her as a helpful, loving person. She also struggled with substance-use disorder, as does one in 12 Vermonters. Jenna had been in and out of recovery programs for six years before she died of an opioid overdose in 2019 at age 26. She told family members that she wished more of her peers could've had the same treatment opportunities she did.

Her parents, Greg and Dawn Tatro, have made Jenna's dream to help others going through recovery a reality. They've poured about $1.5 million of their own into the enterprise ­— Greg owns a successful construction company — and have partnered with experts across the state. By investing in local businesses that provide job training for those in treatment, the charismatic couple hope to sustain Jenna's Promise by reinvesting profits in the recovery center.

Kelly Peck, director of clinical operations for the University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction, thinks the Tatros have hit the mark with their treatment approach. "Your context and the environment that you're living in can have a huge role on outcomes," he explained. 

Right now, Jenna's Promise has beds for 17 women in downtown Johnson, which Greg said is not nearly enough to meet demand. But the recovery model is promising: Other towns across Vermont have reached out to the Tatros in hopes of expanding the program.

With multiple buildings under the nonprofit's ownership, the town has gotten a face-lift. The Tatros have renovated a number of historic buildings and restored the structure that now houses Jenna's Coffee House, which sits on Johnson's Main Street. Speckled light pours in through the café's stained glass windows.

The central hub for Jenna's Promise is in the former St. John's Catholic Church, where Jenna was baptized and memorialized. In 2021, the Tatros used Jenna's life insurance proceeds to turn the building, now known as Jenna's House, into a community center for activities ranging from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to yoga classes.

They've also created a health center and a fitness studio and revitalized five vacant buildings to provide housing for those in recovery. One of those buildings, according to Greg, used to be a well-known spot for drug trafficking.

Lisa Rowell, co-owner of the Village Emporium on Main, a downtown boutique, is encouraged by the changes.

"They're opening up spaces that had previously been closed to the community," she said of the Tatros. Rowell has gotten a boost to her business as a result and has befriended women in the residential program. For her, it's bittersweet when they move on. "They're determined," she shared.

The Tatros' projects tie back to their vision of a "whole-person" approach to recovery through meeting all the needs of someone going through treatment for substance-use disorder.

The nonprofit partners with the North Central Vermont Recovery Center to provide recovery resources. Residents can attend meetings, take free yoga classes, receive medical treatment and work a recovery-friendly job, all within walking distance. Most stay in the program for a few months to a year — or sometimes longer, depending on their situation. By providing accessible wraparound services for women in recovery, the family hopes to create a true place of healing and remove barriers to success.

"We want it to be a home that feels safe," explained Gregory Tatro, Jenna's brother and a cofounder of Jenna's Promise. (His father goes by Greg; he uses his full name.)

Gregory said that when Jenna's Promise first started, some residents were afraid of having "those types" of people around. To which he responded: "They're already here. They're just not in recovery."

Eric Osgood, a member of the Johnson Selectboard, also remembers initial skepticism to the projects. Now, Osgood said, the family has "changed the perception of recovery" in Johnson.

Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux Jr. agrees. He's on the nonprofit's board and, at the opening of Jenna's Coffee House, described what an important resource the recovery community can be.

"It's really impactful to run into somebody that's having the worst day of their life and be able to help this person right away," he said. "Come next week, or tomorrow morning, we may have lost that opportunity."

Jenna's father thinks the interconnection between Johnson and Jenna's Promise has helped lessen the stigma of substance abuse in the community.

"Jenna would try to get jobs here in our area," Greg said. "But everyone knew she was suffering from substance-use disorder, so they wouldn't hire her." When Jenna could manage to find work, though, she would do better in her recovery.

Experts say having a job helps people's recovery process. Cameron Lauf, executive director of the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County, a peer-run recovery center, explained that working can be a critical way to gain self-confidence. Plus, keeping busy at the early stages of the recovery process often improves the likelihood of success.

Casey DeGuise was on his recovery journey when he started looking. He was turned down by more than 35 employers, which tempted him to start using again, he told Seven Days. Then DeGuise interviewed for an entry-level job at Mark BBQ, which was then in Essex.

Darrell Langworthy, co-owner of the restaurant, decided to take a chance on him. DeGuise quickly proved himself indispensable. Four years later, DeGuise is a manager at Mark BBQ and is working with Langworthy to make the restaurant a recovery-friendly workplace.

With an estimated 7 percent of jobs in Vermont vacant, tapping this often overlooked group of potential workers has helped some employers.

Rhino Foods, a wholesale cookie dough manufacturer in Burlington, uses an inclusive hiring model for many entry-level positions. By removing barriers from the application process, the company has been able to recruit from a larger pool of potential employees. Rooney Castle, the vice president, thinks this has resulted in a more loyal workforce.

"These are just good human practices," said Lisa Lord, director of workforce development for Recovery Vermont, a nonprofit that provides resources for those fighting substance-use disorder. "It's about genuinely caring about one another, being nonjudgmental and recognizing everyone struggles with something."

That's the ultimate goal of Jenna's Promise, as well.

"Jenna had to sacrifice herself for us to be able to do this good work," Amy Tatro, Jenna's sister-in-law and a cofounder of Jenna's Promise, told Seven Days. "The sacrifice was not in vain. You can see the meaning everywhere when you drive down Johnson's main street. She's there. She has not gone."

Correction, December 14, 2022: A previous version of this story misreported the number of beds Jenna's Promise has in Johnson.