COITSVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio - The Purple Cat is a day program for adults with special needs.  The program helps people develop daily-living skills through vocation and creative projects.  

About 65 of these special clients actually work at the Purple Cat Ranch in Lowellville.

Amy Rigby of the Purple Cat said, "They take care of the grounds, grass cutting, They get to do a little bit of everything. Inside they have art classes and music classes and they work the cafe. It gives them a sense of belonging. Purple Cat is important for them and gives them a routine that they are used to. It gives them a sense of family here."

It's a farm where you can find everything from alpacas to turkeys. 

There are a lot of animals to care for.  They now have some new creatures to add to the list.  The ranch just welcomed a new peacock pen and a new apiary, that's a fancy name for bee colonies.

Many of the clients are paid for their work here. It gives them responsibility and provides a sense of worth.

"We pay all of our folks at least minimum wage. Some of the folks work 30-40 hours a week and some only want to work an hour a day. It makes me feel good that we can pay everybody and they take their job very seriously. The evidence is how nice everything looks here," said Jimmy Sutman of the Purple Cat.

The Purple Cat motto is "Work hard, be kind and have fun."  That's a good motto for all of us.