History

Our Beginnings

The Catherine McAuley Center has offered educational and supportive services in the Cedar Rapids community since 1989. Today, CMC has grown to be a Place of Welcome, known for offering hope and life changing services to more than 700 individuals each year!

The Catherine McAuley Center (CMC) founded in 1989 by the Sisters of Mercy, named in honor of Catherine McAuley (1778-1841), who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland, and devoted her life to educating women and serving the vulnerable. Catherine’s values continue to influence the organization today, and the Sisters of Mercy remain faithful supporters of the Center through sponsorship, volunteer service, and leadership on the Board of Directors.

A History of Welcome Services

First building of the Catherine McAuley Center

1989
The original “building on stilts” site located on 10th Street.

The Catherine McAuley Center Opens its Doors!

Starting with a small group of 16 students in its first year, CMC was initially founded to offer education to women studying for their General Education Diploma. Shortly after, the Transitional Housing Program for women was introduced as four women made their home at CMC.

1989
The original “building on stilts” site located on 10th Street.

1994
CMC outgrew its original “building on stilts” and moved to a new location on 4th Avenue SE to add more services.

CMC Moves to New Location

In response to a growing refugee and immigrant population in Cedar Rapids during the mid-1990s, CMC added English as a Second Language tutoring and U.S. Citizenship Exam preparation, establishing the Adult Basic Education Program, open to both men and women.

1994
CMC outgrew its original “building on stilts” and moved to a new location on 4th Avenue SE to add more services.

2008

Induction of First Mission Society Members

The Center inducted its first members of the Mission Society, a committed group of CMC supporters who have invested in the future of the Center.

2008

2014

CMC Outgrows Its Space Again

Once again, CMC began to outgrow its space, serving over 350 clients each year.

2014

2017

CMC Launches Additional Services

CMC launched additional services for immigrants and refugees, including a Refugee Resettlement Program as an affiliate site of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

2017

2018

CMC Launches 'A Place of Welcome' Campaign

A year later, CMC was utilizing every possible space of its building for offices, tutoring, and appointments, providing services to more than 600 clients. In order to increase capacity and meet the needs of the community, CMC launched ‘A Place Of Welcome: The Campaign to Expand the Catherine McAuley Center’ to purchase a larger facility and establish an endowment fund.

2018

2020

CMC Expands Services

As programs continued to expand and more services were introduced, CMC established the Education Services, Women’s Services, and Refugee & Immigrant Services programs as its core service areas.

2020

July 2020

CMC Moves to Current Facility

With renovations complete, CMC packed up nearly more than two decades of memories and moved into its current facility located at 1220 5th Avenue SE, offering four times the amount of room as the previous location, along with ADA accessibility, and newly upgraded spaces!

July 2020

1990 - First CMC Volunteers and Executive Director

1994 - Staff and Volunteers at New Building

1994 - The Big Move from the House on Stilts

1994 - Grand Opening of New CMC Building

1994 - Resident Moving in to New Building

2008 - Student Receives Citizenship Certificate

Expanding A Place of Welcome

For over thirty years, the Catherine McAuley Center has been a place of welcome where our neighbors have the safety to learn and grow. As our community has evolved, we’ve adapted to meet its emerging needs, providing services to over 700 individuals – immigrants, refugees and women experiencing crisis – in the last year.

Our former building, a repurposed convent, was bursting at the seams, with tiny offices forged out of closets and tutoring sessions squeezed into the kitchen and lobby. The lack of space translated into waiting lists and unmet needs. To fulfill our commitment to our community, we embarked on a journey in 2018 to create a new place of welcome that has allowed us to expand services and achieve accessibility.

The new, current building, at 1220 Fifth Avenue SE, is just blocks away from our former facility. This space will increase the number of people served by CMC, equip more individuals in our community with skills and connections that contribute to self-sufficiency and community integration, improve the quality of services provided, and contribute to the vitality of the Wellington Heights neighborhood.

Since the move, CMC has expanded programs, added new services, and increased its capacity to serve even more of our neighbors. This includes the addition of:

Supportive Housing and community outreach services for women
LIFE (Learning Is For Everyone) after-school and summer program for refugee and immigrant youth
CMC Kids Program where children of refugee and immigrant clients can go to learn and play while their parents access services. And so much more!
Click here to view the full benefits of the new space

Embracing a Brighter Future

Even as it has grown and evolved, the Catherine McAuley Center has stayed true to its core mission of offering hope and opportunity to individuals seeking to gain the knowledge and skills that will help them lead self-sufficient and fulfilling lives.

Moving into a larger facility ensured that the Catherine McAuley Center’s location would not just meet the current needs, but would be a place where our neighbors could find hope and opportunity for years to come.

Be a Part of Our History

Leave a legacy that forever connects you to an inclusive community that welcomes thousands of people from around the world and from a variety of backgrounds. You can ensure that future generations will have meaningful opportunities to achieve their goals with a legacy gift through your will or trust.

Your legacy gift will meet the needs of the time, whatever they may be, far into the future.

History in the Making

Today, a new generation of women, adult learners, and immigrant and refugee newcomers are making their OWN history. Take a moment to see how our neighbors are building their own legacy, here in our local community!