Paul Wessendorf, Step Up Award Recipients   

Welcome to the Howard Center.

History of HCI

   The Howard Center Inc. was named after James and Anna Howard from Schaller, Iowa.

    James Leo Howard lived in Schaller and was a graduate of the Schaller High School. He married Anne Lorenzen and they continued to make their home in Schaller. Both James and Anne were active in their community and in their will, they were able to fulfill a long time desire to help persons with disabilities in Sac County. They gave $40,000 to the State Association for Retarded Citizens to help build an activity center. The money remained in Des Moines until a group of Sac County citizens successfully got it returned to Sac County for its intended purpose; thus the beginning of the Howard Activity Center. The center first opened its doors on March 22, 1972 with 10 consumers receiving day programming. The center was located on Williams Street, just north of the Sac County Courthouse. (A parking lot is there today) Today we serve over 100 consumers and our services include residential, vocational, and mental health services. All services we provide strictly adhere to our mission statement, "My Life, My Choice".

    Our vision for HCI is "people working together to assist individuals with disabilities to be as independent as possible with dignity, purpose, and choice." Howard Center values spell the word PRIDE

• P-Privacy
• R- Respect
• I-Independence and Individuality
• D-Dignity
• E-Empowerment

   

     We think Anne and James would be proud of the success they helped start and that these VALUES are the same values that they lived by during their lives.

HCI's TIMELINE

• 1972 Howard Activity Center opened on March 22, 1972 with 10 consumers
• 1976 Moved to an new office at 1710 West Main
• 1978 One of the first in the nation to provide supports to individuals living in their own apartments.
• 1984 Opened 2 Eight Bed HUD 202 Group Homes
• 1985 Current administration building located at 1319 Early Street donated by Jack McCorkle
• 1985 Dept. of Human Services used our paperwork for providing supports to individuals living in their own apartments for a pilot project called Community Supervised Living Arrangement (CSLA)
• 1986 Purchase a 10 unit apartment complex, providing an opportunity for persons with disbailities to become homeowners (first in the nation)
• 1990 In order to more accurately reflect what we do, our name legally changed to HOWARD CENTER INC.
• 1992 HCI opened the Sac Area Recycling Center with the cooperation of the Sac County Solid Waste Agency
• 1998 HCI purchases DaLe Monogram Shop. They also purchased a home in Sac City to provide 24 hour residential supervision to 4 individuals.
• 2000 HCI purchases another home in Sac City for 24 hour residential supervision.
• 2001 HCI expands their services to include contract services in the Carroll area
• 2003 HCI opens a Community Mental Health Center and works closely with Sac County to provide mental health services to its citizens
• 2004 HCI opens an office in Carroll, Iowa to house our contract services
• 2006 Harry Rasmussen Building opened