As our name suggests, one of our goals at beCAUSE minded is to be cause-minded. We want people to love our luxury corporate gift boxes. At the same time, we want to support social enterprises making a difference in the world and bring attention to the causes our corporate gift suppliers are focused on. With Autism Acceptance Day coming up, we want to shine a light on this cause and our supplier, Beloved Bath, who is making a world of difference, one job at a time.

Autism Acceptance: The Power of Employment Beloved Bath was founded by two women, Pat Miller and Pam Kattouf, both moms with autistic sons who met on a playground when their sons were just toddlers. Their friendship and desire to make a lasting difference in the autistic community grew throughout the years, and over a decade later, the women founded Beloved Bath in 2016. Their story is truly one of inspiration, hope, and determination.

We recently caught up with Pat Miller on the story of why she founded Beloved Bath, how she measures success, and what’s next for the company!

Jessica: What is Beloved Bath?

Pat: We are a bath products and candle company with a mission of meaningful employment for people with autism.

Jessica: Why did you found Beloved Bath?

Autism Acceptance: The Power of Employment Pat: We are parents of young adults with autism. We started the company over 5 years ago when our boys were teens. We knew that there were not a lot of jobs for people with profound autism like our sons. In fact, even people with mild autism often have difficulty finding and maintaining employment. We are community minded and wanted to have a bigger impact than just for our sons.

Jessica: How have you seen employment change the lives of your employees?

Pat: In many cases, this is our employees’ first paying job. They feel good about working and getting a paycheck. There is also a sense of belonging and camaraderie at Beloved Bath.

Jessica: What are some of the challenges your business faces that traditional businesses don’t?

Pat: We have so many people wanting employment, it is a challenge to be able to employ everyone who reaches out. We currently have a waiting list of people who would love to work for us.

Jessica: How do you measure success at Beloved Bath?

Pat: Success is seen in smiles and new skills learned.

Jessica: Why is raising Autism Awareness important?

Pat: Autism is prevalent and impacts so many people and families. By raising awareness, we seek to create a more inclusive and accepting community and world so that everyone can reach their fullest potential. This community is such a talented pool that is often overlooked and under-represented. We hope to motivate other businesses to follow suit and offer employment to people with autism.

Autism Acceptance: The Power of Employment Jessica: What’s next for you and your team?

Pat: We plan to continue what we are doing with a goal of scaling the business in order to have a bigger impact on employment for people with autism.

We are also starting a non-profit to assist others with a similar mission of autism employment as well as the soft skills that make employment more accessible to all.

Want to check out these inspiring products? You can find Beloved Bath’s Enlightened Body Butter and their Revive and Refresh Charcoal Bath Salts on our website (or you can get both in our beDETOXED gift box!). You can also check out Beloved Bath’s website for their full range of products.

Let’s continue raising Autism Acceptance. Do you have a way autism has touched you or your family? Share your story here!