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Perspectives & Press

CEL News

CEL on WGN!

On Tuesday, April 15, our CEO Herb Washington and CEL Member Jay S. made an appearance on the “Midday Fix” segment of WGN News to talk about our Chefs’ Night fundraiser and Car Raffle coming up on May 5! “I love CEL and I love Chefs’ Night,” Jay said. “I had so much fun being […]

CEL Staff Perspective

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month: Beyond Awareness, Toward Action

Perspective from Herb Washington, CEO of CEL Every March, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM) is a time to reflect on inclusion, celebrate progress, and challenge society to do better. But what does “awareness” really mean? Are we simply acknowledging the existence of people with developmental disabilities, or are we working toward a world where inclusion […]

DDAM

Unexpected Internship Inspires Career Direction

When Taylor Harris first walked into CEL, it was for a backup internship opportunity after her plan to intern in a school fell through. Her goal was to complete the requirement on her way to becoming a family and relationship therapist. What she didn’t anticipate was how her time with CEL members would change the […]

Community Partnerships

Exciting News: CEL Awarded 2024 Grant from the Hellenic Foundation

We’re proud to share that CEL has been selected as one of the 2024 grant award recipients by the Hellenic Foundation! CEL Board Secretary Mary Greanias is actively involved with the Hellenic Foundation, and saw an opportunity where the two organizations intersect. CEL programs are accessible to people from all backgrounds, and this grant allows […]

Parent Perspective

Where Everybody Knows Your (Son’s) Name

“Hello, Thomas. How’s it going?” This is the personalized hello that my son hears when he walks into CEL. It’s simple — and it’s truly what sets them apart. Hearing our son greeted by name and asked about himself by staff who genuinely care— as a parents of a son with autism and intellectual and […]

CEL News

CEO Herb Washington Featured in Elmhurst University Magazine

Elmhurst University recently highlighted our CEO Herb Washington, Class of 1997, in the “My Career Path” section of their Prospect Magazine, published in Summer 2024. The full magazine can be read here and the article appears on page 48. A Fateful Pivot A change in major set the course for Herb Washington ’97 to achieve […]

Catalyst

Breaking Down Barriers: The Importance of Life Skills

Imagine an everyday task like grocery shopping, broken down into individual steps: planning a list, getting to the store and navigating through it, budgeting and paying for everything, and then going home to prepare the meal with the correct ingredients. Now, consider how much more difficult that would be if you were missing even one […]

CEL News

29th Annual CEL Golf Tournament

On a beautiful Monday morning, our sponsors, golfers, volunteers, and board members showed up and helped raise nearly $400,000 to provide vital programs and services to our members. We appreciate all of our sponsors for their generous support of CEL, our golf committee, the team of volunteers from AIT, CEL staff, and many other volunteers […]

CEL News

Mike Marty, Mike Noeh, and Kristy Wrigley Welcomed as New CEL Board Members

CEL (CENTER FOR ENRICHED LIVING) ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS MIKE MARTY, MIKE NOEH, AND KRISTY WRIGLEY RIVERWOODS, Ill. – CEL (Center for Enriched Living), a non-profit organization providing programs and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), proudly announces that Mike Marty, Mike Noeh, and Kristy Wrigley have joined their Board of Directors. […]

CEL in the News

General Press Coverage

November 13, 2023 – Crain’s Chicago Business, People On The Move 

November 6, 2023 – Daily Herald, Center for Enriched Living selects Herbert K. Washington, Jr. as chief executive officer

March 13, 2023 – Deerfield Patch, CEL Partners with First Responders for Disability Training 

August 18, 2022 – Deerfield Patch, New Board Members Announced for CEL

July 27, 2021 – Deerfield Patch, CEL Announces New Board Members

April 18, 2021 – Fox32 Chicago, CEL Celebrates National Volunteer Week

March 25, 2021 – Daily Herald, CEL honors Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and builds on its efforts to fight social isolation during COVID

December 3, 2020 – Bridging Chicago podcast, Center for Enriched Living