The grand opening will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. May 17 at the new building on Avenue M West, and will celebrate the completion of construction, said Marketing Manager Allison Hulshof.

Hopefully, state and federal officials will be present for the celebration, Hulshof said.

CFR has been providing detox services and helping anyone dealing with substance issues for more than 50 years, but in recent times it outgrew its building, the former convent that was part of the old St. Joseph Mercy Hospital on South 17th Street.

And it also outgrew the outpatient therapy building north of town on 15th Street, and the STARS adolescent program at the Corpus Christi location on North Eighth Street. With the new building, all of CFR’s services will be in one place.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Michelle De La Riva, executive director of Community and Family Resources, right, along with service dog in training, Smore, show employees around the new facility Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m just so excited. It’s beautiful,” said Adolescent Residential Program Supervisor Tiffany Dorsey, one of nine staff members who got a tour of the building Wednesday afternoon. “They’ve gotten a lot more done since I was here last.”

The building offers more space for the program to run smoothly, Dorsey said.

“There’s more space, and it flows better. Supervision and programming will flow better. Just being on one floor, instead of all over Fort Dodge.”

The kids are going to love it, added Rebecca Schuster, an adolescent resident counselor.

“Even the kids we have now in our program are sad they won’t get to see the new building,” said Schuster.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Tiffany Dorsey, Community and Family Resources adolescent program superintendent, left, along with Adolescent Resident Counselor Rebecca Schuster, look over one of the patient rooms in the adolescent wing of the new facility.

“We’ve had so many say ‘I’m going to come back and visit’,” Dorsey said.

After the open house, CFR will begin moving staff and clients into the new place, Hulshof said, starting with the youth STARS program, then outpatient and administrative offices, and finally adult residential.

“It’s going to be a whole process,” she said.

Over in the administrative wing, Colleen Monroe was also happy to see the new human resources room.

“Look at my office,” Monroe said. “I’m glad because I can do interviews in there, and not have to go downstairs.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Cruz Flores, with Denison Drywall, touches up trim paint Wednesday in a wing of the new Community and Family Resources center.

The staff visiting that day were also part of the communications team, Hulshof said, and were looking at where art could be placed on the plain walls of the new corridors.

Art is chosen carefully, she said, to avoid anything that might evoke a negative reaction from clients.

“In our experience, it’s been making sure the pictures are nature. People typically have good thoughts about nature,” Hulshof said.

“We talked about doing some type of graduation thing for our clients, so they can leave their mark on CFR as they leave,” she added. “Also potentially doing a wall piece for the current staff that were present during the opening. A wall quilt, I think we talked about, where each piece could represent a different staff member.”

CFR is still hoping to raise $2 million to offset the loan which was taken out to help pay for the $6.6 million facility.

“Our current fundraising amount is $906,000,” Hulshof said. “We’re close. Once we get to that $1 million mark we can apply for two extra grants.”

Individuals and businesses can also adopt a room, Hulshof said, for a $3,500 to $5,000 donation.