Women's & Children's Center Gets New Name

When Catherine M. Lee went to her Community Education Foundation (CEF) meeting the morning of Wednesday, April 18, it seemed like another routine meeting and morning.

But for the staff and teachers of Community Education, District 214 Superintendent Dave Schuler, several CEF Board members, and other special guests that morning, pulling off a surprise dedication for Catherine to honor her work at the Women's & Children's Center was foremost on their minds.

The dedication officially renamed The Women's & Children's Center (WCC) at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights to The Catherine M. Lee Women's & Children's Center.

A crowd of about 50 people, that included members of Lee's family and alumnae of the center, watched as the unsuspecting honoree received red roses from Carinna Tello, Anna Calderon, Guadalupe Sanchez, and Anna Velasquez. "You are an inspiration. You are an advocate. You are a supporter." These words were heard as the women, who represented the center's past, present and future, took turns in telling Catherine her attributes that meant a lot to them as they each handed her three red roses.

"It has been my privilege to be a part of the Women's and Children's Center," Catherine told the group as she fought back tears. "To place my name with it is an honor that should be given to the dedicated staff, which works with the women and children as if they were their family. And, to the women, who have succeeded, like offspring of a loving family often do," she said.

"To hear their stories of being able to call the doctor and speak in English [themselves] for their child, to study with, and to read to their child, to secure a job that is not minimum wage, or to set up a business of their own-that is the honor that is bestowed daily on the staff, the women, and me," she added. "I shall now work harder to reinforce the Center's generosity of spirit. The accomplishments of these women will be a legacy to their children, their grandchildren, and to us, their community."

Community Education Director Mike Field, who has worked with Catherine for many years, presented her with the plaque that will permanently mark the center. "This could not have happened to a better person," Field said. "Catherine embodies the attributes that we would like the women of the center to emulate. She is the driving force behind the center and it is an honor for Community Education to have her on our team."

District 214 Superintendent Dave Schuler, who suggested the name change earlier in the year, had this to say about Catherine. "She was an inspiration for the establishment of the Women's and Children's Center," he said. "She is the person you would like to be seated next to at a dinner party. Not only does she have class, humility, and grace, but she has traveled extensively, speaks multiple languages, and runs her own international business. It is such a fitting tribute to honor her by naming the center after her," Superintendent Schuler added.

Lee is the catalyst who helped create the center. She has served as a member of the WCC's Advisory Board and has helped secure funding for its growth. Through the years, she has maintained an active role in the center's progress and was instrumental in procuring funds through the Barbara Bush Literacy Grant.

The success of 12 years of the WCC programming has exceeded expectations. The center was established in July 2000. It was created to meet the identified educational and employment needs of low-income female immigrants residing in the Northwest Suburban area, many of whom are victims of domestic violence. The goal is to provide these women with marketable skills and economic independence through employment and access to jobs.

From July 1 - December 31, 2011, the center averaged 63 hours of instruction for each woman served and 3,414 total hours of instruction. Over 50 women have participated in classes in ESL, work readiness, and computer literacy and it has served 50 children, ages birth to five, through the early childhood education classes and interactive literacy activities with their mothers.