'A place of welcome' expands its facility for the corridor
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Catherine McAuley Center raised more than $3.4 million towards its capital campaign to create a larger facility.
This non-profit supports and welcomes people who need help accessing basic needs such as food, shelter and safety. Former client and now staff member, Tara King, says the Catherine McAuley Center is a special place for her and she's excited to be able to expand this resource.
“Close to my heart you have the women that are there who are battling all kinds of demons and this is just their place and it will allow more people to take refuge in the Catherine McAuley Center and that’s amazing," says King.
This nearly 5.5 million dollar project will create a center four times the size of the existing center and increase the number of people they can serve.
Jacques Bisimwa spent a decade in a refugee camp in Zimbabwe before fleeing to the U.S.
He says he had no hope for the future before coming to the center.
“Who I am today is through Catherine McAuley Center because they developed something in me," says Bisimwa.
Now he is a working case manager at the center and he plans on staying a while.
“We went through the process from refugee to have a green card, so actually I’m a permanent resident. I hold my green card," says Bisimwa.
