Perspectives & Press

Remarkable $200,000 Grant Helps Remove Barriers for CEL Members with Developmental Disabilities CEL (Center for Enriched Living) is thrilled to share the incredible news that we’ve been awarded a generous $200,000 grant from The Smith Tieken Foundation. This support comes at a crucial time and will significantly enhance our ability to continue empowering our members […]

CEL Donates to Vernon Township Food Pantry We’re so grateful to be part of a community that always shows up for one another, especially when we can support other important organizations. Over the last month, you all rallied together to collect essential items like canned veggies, diapers, pasta, and more for our friends at the Vernon […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]

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 […]