Welcome to the Center to BE!

The Center to BE was incorporated in 1995 as the Fond du Lac Weavers, Inc. in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Its origins, however, date to 1990 with a series of retreats for women called Weaving Retreats. These retreats created a safe inner space for women of many faith traditions or no faith tradition to come together for silence, solitude, teaching, ritual and community. Participants came to know the Divine Mystery in the weaving of the fabric of their daily lives, a metaphor which inspired the organization’s name.

A small group of women in the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin area who attended several of the Weaving Retreats began to explore the possibility of making this experience more than an annual event. Using input from a survey of 500 people within a radius of 150 miles of Fond du Lac, they imagined developing a spirituality center.

This was to be a place for quiet and reflection for those searching for deeper spiritual meaning. The spirituality center was envisioned as The Center to BE and the Fond du Lac Weavers was formed to bring this vision to reality.

From 1996 through 1999, the Fond du Lac Weavers, Inc. operated as a "center without walls" presenting annual programs on spiritual topics, developing a newsletter and raising funds. In 1999, the search to find a physical location for The Center To Be led to the Cedar Valley Retreat Center with its 100 acres of natural beauty in the heart of the Kettle Moraine outside of West Bend, Wisconsin. Administrative office space for The Center to BE was leased at this site. An Executive Director was hired. In March, 2000, The Fond du Lac Weavers formally adopted the name The Center to BE, Inc. and began to provide programs at Cedar Valley.

The Board of Directors continued to reflect on the mission of the organization as the first programs were presented at the Cedar Valley site. Through this reflection, it became clearer that the focus of The Center to BE should be less about having a place and more about embodying a philosophy of inclusive spirituality through accessible programming and presence. This refined emphasis led to a change in the approach to presenting programs and to a new location as well.

In January, 2001, the administrative office of The Center to BE was moved to space leased in the St. Joseph Center of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee. Programs were offered there, at Cedar Valley, in Fond du Lac and Appleton as well as in several other communities until December, 2010.

Financial challenges resulting from the difficult economic environment threatened the long-term viability of The Center to BE. Despite intensified efforts on many levels to increase revenues and reduce expenses, The Center to BE sustained financial losses for three consecutive years.

The Board carefully considered a number of options in response to this scenario including merging with other organizations and dissolving The Center to BE completely. Ultimately, it was determined that the best alternative was to modify the organization in a way that would be self-sustaining over time. The administrative office returned to Fond du Lac in space leased from the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes in January, 2011 where a part-time director oversees the operation of a more limited array of programs.