Home › About Us
About us
Weaving Community, One Rug at a Time
The Weaver’s Nest exists to help build a community of all types of people in the process of weaving rugs.
We will do so by hiring neurodiverse people, providing them with employment and safe and meaningful interactions with neurotypical people.
The overriding goal is the creation of a community of rug weavers that will include people of all types, intellects, abilities, races, and creeds in order to build a more inclusive Niles.
With the purchase of our second loom, we found our heart’s desire. We walked into Ability Weavers in Lowell, Michigan, and saw they had a shop where autistic people were employed to weave. The atmosphere was electric!
Seeing that, we knew that we had to try something like this in Niles. So we incorporated as a Michigan nonprofit, got our 501(c)3 designation, filed a gazillion other papers, and here we are!
Fundraising is going slowly, but this dream will not die! We will open our storefront community of weavers as soon as we can, and then we will hire neurodiversity weavers whose rugs will help pay their wages. In addition, we will also open the shop to others to weave, thus making the shop self-sustaining within a few years.
Our Team
Kate Russell, Founder and Executive Director
Kate is proud to call Niles, Mich., her home, even though she lives outside the city limits. She considers herself very fortunate in life, with an incredible husband and daughter, and a son who left behind lovely music and memories.
Kate believes all people should be given every chance possible to succeed and be happy, and when she encountered weaving, she realized her life just received new meaning. With the help of so many others, she hopes to give that chance and meaning to those who are so often left out.
Taylor P Johnson, Director
Taylor is a multidisciplinary designer with experience in web, UI, and UX design. She believes in creating accessible, human-centered digital experiences while having empathy for all users. Taylor worked with Kate at the University of Notre Dame where she found her passion for designing for the user. Since then has moved on to other opportunities and is currently an Interactive Visual Designer for Global Marketing at Teradata. Outside of her career, she loves to cook, garden, and spend time with the humans and animals she loves.
Jodie Russell, Director
Jodie is proud to call St. Joseph County home for the past 49 years. She and her husband have two wonderful children who recently graduated from college, which makes them empty nesters for the first time. During her 29 years in banking, she realized that helping people within the community is something she always wanted to be a part of. Jodie has served with multiple not-for-profit organizations, in various roles over the years, and each one has provided more education, insight, and commitment to share with the next.