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Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee will soon open on Rt. 378 in Lower Saucon Township. The business employs individuals from across a neurodiverse spectrum as part of its mission.<\/p>\nSara Heintzelman has spent nearly two decades working at the Centennial School of Lehigh University, an approved private school for students with emotional disorders and autism. She has watched them thrive inside the classroom, but finding that same level of support for those students in the workforce has been a different story.<\/p>\n
That gap has stuck with her. Now, Heintzelman, a Hellertown native, is doing something about it by opening a business that will employ staff from across a neurodiverse spectrum.<\/p>\n
Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee on Rt. 378 in Lower Saucon Township is planning a late June opening with a mission that goes well beyond waffle cones and coffee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The business will employ individuals with different abilities alongside retired, current and aspiring educators who serve as mentors, creating the kind of supportive work environment Heintzelman envisioned.<\/p>\n
Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee will soon open on Rt. 378 in Lower Saucon Township. The business employs individuals from across a neurodiverse spectrum as part of its mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed over the last 10 years or so, when our students go to find jobs, it\u2019s really difficult for them to find jobs that match the level of support that we provide at school,\u201d said Heintzelman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo about 10 years ago, I set off to explore what would be a good business that could match the supports that we provide at school, also provide a good first job experience, and something that would be full of joy and positivity,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
The answer, after years of research and exploration, involved ice cream.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally when people are eating ice cream, they\u2019re pretty happy,\u201d Heintzelman said. \u201cUnless ice cream is on the floor, you\u2019re pretty happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
From an Idea to a Full-Scale Coffee & Ice Cream Shop<\/p>\n
Heintzelman didn\u2019t just wing it. She enrolled in Penn State\u2019s renowned ice cream school to learn the craft, took an additional online course and spent time observing how customers and employees interact in ice cream shops. What started as small batches for friends and family turned into a passion she couldn\u2019t ignore.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first I thought, well, maybe it\u2019s just my friends and family telling me that my ice cream is good,\u201d she said. \u201cBut then, as I continued to share it with people, they just kept asking me for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Customers wait to receive their drink orders during a \u201ccoffee soft opening\u201d at Get Joy in Lower Saucon Township on June 14, 2026.<\/p>\n
The concept had legs, but Heintzelman recognized one major challenge. Ice cream shops need something else to survive the winter months.<\/p>\n
Her husband, Michael Pilato, had the solution.<\/p>\n
Coffee.<\/p>\n
Pilato, who will power Get Joy\u2019s daily operations, attended the New Jersey Coffee School in Hoboken, N.J., to learn the trade. From there, the couple connected with Firehouse Coffee and Mike Adams, who created a signature brew exclusively for Get Joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows everything about roasting. He\u2019s also educated us very well and made us feel comfortable in this route of doing coffee with what he can provide,\u201d Pilato said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s really got a premium product that\u2019s already well-respected in Lehigh Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coffee partnership opens the door for longer operating hours. Get Joy plans to open at 7 a.m. and stay open late into the evening, which directly supports the shop\u2019s employment mission. Heintzelman pointed to a staggering statistic that drives the urgency behind their business model.<\/p>\n
\u201cEighty percent of individuals with disabilities are unemployed,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd in order for us to give as many people an opportunity to work for us, we also needed to be open more hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
The menu will also feature tiny pancakes for the breakfast crowd, giving the shop a full morning-to-evening operation.<\/p>\n
The Joy Crew<\/p>\n
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Above, Sara Heintzelman and her husband Michael Pilato talk to staff members during a soft opening at Get Joy on June 14, 2026.<\/p>\n
The heart of the business is its employees\u2013a group Heintzelman calls the Joy Crew.<\/p>\n
The hiring model is intentionally broad. Get Joy is bringing on individuals with different abilities\u2013a phrase Heintzelman is keeping deliberately open-ended.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them will have a documented disability, and others will just need different things to be successful,\u201d she said. \u201cSo we\u2019re keeping that phrase open on purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Get Joy\u2019s Joy Crew fills drink orders during a \u201ccoffee soft opening\u201d on June 14, 2026.<\/p>\n
To support those team members, the shop has hired retired, current and aspiring educators as mentors\u2013a role that functions similarly to a management position. High school students are also being brought on as Junior Joy Mentors, serving as role models for workers who need additional support.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut really, after everyone is hired, we\u2019re considering them members of the Joy Crew, and that differentiation goes away,\u201d Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n
The response has already been overwhelming. Without much advertising beyond a single Facebook post, Get Joy has received over 40 applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have absolutely outstanding applicants and outstanding Joy Crew members<\/a> so far,\u201d Heintzelman said. \u201cI truly believe that we will have some of the best employees in the Lehigh Valley, and we\u2019re really excited to give them a fantastic employment experience.\u201d<\/p>\n The inaugural Joy Crew is fully staffed. The shop will continue to accept applications, but those applicants won\u2019t be part of the opening crew as attention shifts to training.<\/p>\n The Scoop: Get Joy\u2019s Flavorful Menus<\/p>\n Get Joy plans to offer roughly 12 ice cream flavors on a regular basis to start, working up to 24 in the next year, including signature flavors, seasonal rotations and dairy-free options.\u00a0<\/p>\n The rotating flavors will reflect what\u2019s happening in the community\u2013local high school events, and happenings in the Bethlehem and Hellertown areas\u2013in a way that makes the shop feel like a genuine neighborhood gathering place.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really want to make sure that we are creating an environment where people want to come and feel part of the community that we\u2019re creating,\u201d Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n On the coffee side, the shop will carry its exclusive Firehouse Coffee signature blend alongside popular existing Firehouse blends. One of those blends, called Waffle Cone Mix, features vanilla and brown sugar\u2013a natural pairing for a shop that can blend coffee and ice cream on the spot. Refreshers, teas and lemonades will round out the drink menu.<\/p>\n The shop, located at 3592 Rt. 378, Bethlehem, will also feature a fully accessible outdoor space designed for families.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really wanted to create the space that we would want our own family to go to,\u201d Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n Looking Ahead: Soft Openings Before the Grand Opening<\/p>\n Get Joy is currently holding soft openings with limited hours to give employees time to get comfortable in their roles before serving the general public. These events are being announced on their Facebook and Instagram pages.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really important to us that they all feel successful, and we\u2019re going to really break down the training in a way that helps them to understand each of the pieces of the store and helps us to figure out what each of them is good at,\u201d Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n There are plenty of moving pieces\u2013making ice cream, crafting waffle cones, working the checkout counter, making coffee, flipping tiny pancakes\u2013and the training is structured so each member of the Joy Crew lands in the role that fits them best.<\/p>\n For more information, visit Get Joy\u2019s website<\/a> and follow the shop on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9085-1024x576.jpeg\")
A screen displays Get Joy\u2019s mission inside the store.<\/p>\n![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9086-1024x576.jpeg\")
Customers order coffee and other drinks at the register at Get Joy during a soft opening event.<\/p>\n![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9093-1024x576.jpeg\")
Outside the shop, there is a fully-accessible, fenced-in space with table seating in which to enjoy ice cream or coffee.<\/p>\n