From seniors to students, Mimosa expands its mission

Morganton’s Mimosa Christian Counseling Center (MCCC) is reaching out to a broader swath of the community, particularly older residents, the Hispanic community, and college students.

MCCC Director Callie Perez talked about those new efforts, as well an upcoming renovation of the center’s building at 220 Burkemont Ave., in a sit-down conversation with a Paper reporter this week.

Mimosa opened its doors in April of 2004, filling the void left by the closing of the Life Enrichment Center, a Christian counseling ministry that had gone out of business a few years before.

Tom Bland, then senior minister at Morganton First Baptist, was instrumental in starting the ministry and still serves on the board of directors. The goal was to establish a counseling center with a sliding fee scale based on a person’s ability to pay.

MEDICARE ACCEPTANCE

The ability to accept more older clients has been made possible recently, Perez said, now that the center is able to accept Medicare payments.

“We had a long application process to go through in order to obtain Medicare eligibility,” Perez explained. “But our staff and board of directors were fully supportive of us making that effort.”

Noting that Burke County’s population is growing older with an increasing percentage of senior citizens, Perez said, “There is certainly a group there that needs our services and now we’re able to provide them.”

REACHING HISPANICS

Just as senior citizens are a growing segment of Burke’s population, so too are Hispanics. The U.S. Census estimates that nearly one quarter of Morganton’s population is Hispanic.

Recognizing the need to provide services to this growing population, the Rostan Foundation of Valdese has awarded MCCC funding to help provide for a bilingual counselor on staff and to have the center’s promotional materials printed in both English and Spanish.

“The Rostan Foundation has been very generous with their support,” Perez said. “Their funding has allowed us to begin the process of reaching out to what has been an underserved community.”

WPCC OFFICE

Recognizing that students at Western Piedmont Community College often face the stress of balancing their studies with full or part-time jobs, as well as family responsibilities, Mimosa now has a counselor at the college two days a week.

Jasmine Smith’s office is in the Student Services building on the college campus and basically serves as a day clinic where students and faculty can walk in without an appointment.

“She works with both students and faculty as the need arises,” said Perez. “Clients can also come to our office here if they’re uncomfortable about using the campus office.”

BUILDING RENOVATION

Mimosa now owns its office building on Burkemont Avenue, but with six counselors sharing three offices, things can get a bit crowded and hard to schedule at times, Perez said.

“We’re sometimes left juggling offices and schedules and clients,” she explained.

“So, we’re adding an office space and we’re going to be waterproofing our basement so that client files and other materials can be safely stored down there,” Perez added.

The project, which is being designed by Morganton architect Robert Salsbury, is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $100,000, with work expected to begin in August and be completed by the end of 2026.

As to the extent that MCCC is a “Christian” counseling service, Perez said, “The extent to which Christian faith is brought up is totally up to the client. Our therapists incorporate scripture, prayer, and discussions about spirituality as the client deems it appropriate.”

Mimosa Christian Counseling Center can be reached by calling 828-433-5600 or online at www.visitmccc.org.