OUR STORY
The Counseling & Education Center (CEC) began in 1981 as the Center for Enriched Communications (Center) - a vision brought to life by Sister Faye Huelsmann (M.S., LPC) and Sister Pat Lewter (M.A., LPC). The sisters objective - to provide affordable counseling services to individuals and families in Mesa County, regardless of income or their ability to pay. In 1998, the Center merged with Individual and Family Counseling, another nonprofit agency with similar goals. The merged agency became the Counseling and Education Center (CEC). CEC has since grown from the two sisters to a staff of 14 professional counselors and administrative staff, and provide counseling services to more than 400 clients per year. To learn more about the history of CEC, read below...
Sisters Faye & Pat receive a fancy new TV for the CEC in 1983.
FORTY YEARS AGO
In August of 1981, Sisters Fay and Pat had applied for a grant from the St. Joseph Foundation for $18,000 for start-up monies to open a nonprofit, affordable counseling center for individuals and families in Mesa County. The monies were allocated to start in January 1982. The sisters moved to Grand Junction and set up a tent in a local camp-ground, and every morning set out to look for jobs. The weather rained everyday, and it was also very cold. They decided to seek a local convent where Franciscan Sisters from Rochester were living. Sister Faye had a script prepared to explain their vision, but when Sister Killeen opened the door, Sister Pat blurted out "We are Sisters of St Joseph from Concordia, may we live with you?" The Franciscans took them in and helped them find blue-collar jobs.
Sister Faye was hired with the Yellow Cab Company - Grand Junction's first attempt at "mass transit". She also drove (pro-bono) Mesa Development Service clients to and from their jobs, pre-schoolers to and from child care in-between her Yellow Cab clients -- all in one days work! Even though Faye drove a car for work, she was without a vehicle so had to ride her bicycle to work every day -- rain, snow, and shine! Sister Pat was hired by the Sinton Diary to work on the loading dock. She unloaded empty milk containers from three eighteen-wheelers every day and put them on the conveyer into the diary to be filled with milk. Each set of containers weighed twelve pounds, so she unloaded two sets at a time. She was so fit that she could drink a quart of half-and-half during her break every day and stay thin.
In January 1982 their grant money for their counseling center came through, and both continued working their jobs until the Center was self-sufficient. Their experience working in the community served them well. The sisters realized they would be fulfilling a great need in Mesa County by empowering people to change their lives to benefit themselves, their family and their community through counseling that is affordable for all.
In 1998, the Center merged with Individual and Family Counseling, another Mesa County nonprofit agency with similar goals. The merged agency became the Counseling and Education Center, or CEC.
In August of 1981, Sisters Fay and Pat had applied for a grant from the St. Joseph Foundation for $18,000 for start-up monies to open a nonprofit, affordable counseling center for individuals and families in Mesa County. The monies were allocated to start in January 1982. The sisters moved to Grand Junction and set up a tent in a local camp-ground, and every morning set out to look for jobs. The weather rained everyday, and it was also very cold. They decided to seek a local convent where Franciscan Sisters from Rochester were living. Sister Faye had a script prepared to explain their vision, but when Sister Killeen opened the door, Sister Pat blurted out "We are Sisters of St Joseph from Concordia, may we live with you?" The Franciscans took them in and helped them find blue-collar jobs.
Sister Faye was hired with the Yellow Cab Company - Grand Junction's first attempt at "mass transit". She also drove (pro-bono) Mesa Development Service clients to and from their jobs, pre-schoolers to and from child care in-between her Yellow Cab clients -- all in one days work! Even though Faye drove a car for work, she was without a vehicle so had to ride her bicycle to work every day -- rain, snow, and shine! Sister Pat was hired by the Sinton Diary to work on the loading dock. She unloaded empty milk containers from three eighteen-wheelers every day and put them on the conveyer into the diary to be filled with milk. Each set of containers weighed twelve pounds, so she unloaded two sets at a time. She was so fit that she could drink a quart of half-and-half during her break every day and stay thin.
In January 1982 their grant money for their counseling center came through, and both continued working their jobs until the Center was self-sufficient. Their experience working in the community served them well. The sisters realized they would be fulfilling a great need in Mesa County by empowering people to change their lives to benefit themselves, their family and their community through counseling that is affordable for all.
In 1998, the Center merged with Individual and Family Counseling, another Mesa County nonprofit agency with similar goals. The merged agency became the Counseling and Education Center, or CEC.
