OUR STORY
RETHINKING MENTAL HEALTH
The Scheib Center was started as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation in 1971 with money bequeathed by Dr. and Mrs. Scheib for the purpose of providing services to the developmentally disabled and emotionally disturbed individuals in the San Marcos/Hays County area. The service programs were in partnership with the Texas Department of MHMR. The Scheib Center provided the buildings and the Texas Department of MHMR provided the money and staff for the services.
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The Scheib Center began offering services for persons with what was then termed mental retardation (now called Developmental Disabilities) out of an old one family house scheduled for demolition in San Marcos. Renovation of the facility was made possible through contributions of funds and labor by various community organizations and individuals. The mental illness program operated out of a separate small office in the Hays County Courthouse.
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In 1973 the Center acquired a second house to accommodate the rapidly growing community need for services. A local contractor donated a plot of land in San Marcos and the two houses were moved to this property and combined to allow the Center to offer both the mental health program and the developmental disabilities program from one location.
Again, the community came forward with the necessary funds and in-kind services to do the required renovation. The Center operated both programs out of this facility until 1976, when the mental health clinic was moved to a separate location due to the expanded space needs of the program.
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In 1977 the Board of Directors, with widespread community support, launched a capital campaign to build a new facility to meet the space needs for the Center's growing programs. The Board raised a total of $258,000 in individual donations, federal, state, and local matching funds.
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Then, in 1982, the Center added another 5,000 square foot building enabling the Center’s sheltered workshop to expand the training and work available to clients.
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In 1998 the Board of Directors launched another capital campaign, again with widespread community support, to add another building to handle the ever-growing needs of the mental health program. With grants and donations from the Meadows Foundation of Dallas, Texas, the McCoy family, the Ingram family, and the wide spread community the 3,600 square foot mental health facility was completed in 1999.
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As services grew and the Texas Legislature enacted changes, the Scheib Center partnered with Hill Country MHDD. Thus, the Scheib Center provides facilities, utilities, maintenance, additions, repairs, janitorial and more so that Hill Country MHDD can contract with the Texas Department of Human Services to provide the services delivered at the Scheib Center.
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2012 was an amazing year at Scheib as the Board of Directors tackled two huge projects. The first was a complete remodel of the workshop building for the Developmentally Disabled clients. By early summer the Workshop remodel was complete and everyone at the Scheib Center anxiously awaited news of a possible grant application award from Mueller Helping Hand for a new mental health building. The lack of space for the growing mental health services was intolerable and way beyond capacity.
In July Mueller, in conjunction with Texas Country Reporter, awarded Scheib a new 4,000 square foot building. BY Christmas the building was completed and occupied! Yes, 2012 was an incredible year!
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Not resting on 2012 successes, the Board of Directors continued fund raising and public relations activities, as well as manage the 2013-2014 project. This project remodeled a 5000 square foot warehouse into David’s Activity Hall. Thanks to the tremendous support of the community and individual donations the project was completed in 2014.
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The Board also held its first major fundraising event, Scheib Music Fest, on March 1, 2014. Amazing musicians like Terri Hendrix, Lloyd Maines, Chris Salinas and the Wildgrass Band, and the Fossils Band were in concert for Scheib at the 1943 wooden airport hangar at the San Marcos Airport.
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The Scheib Center celebrated the opening of David's Activity Hall, the organization's newest addition to its three-acre campus located in San Marcos on July 17th, 2014. The building was remodeled from a structure originally erected in 1982 as a storage warehouse. It was later converted to office and meeting space, but had become outdated and inefficient. The newly remodeled space has a large activity room, several meeting rooms, storage areas, office space and a modern kitchen that can be used in job training for IDD clients, many of whom are able to obtain employment in the restaurant industry.
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The Youth Crisis Respite Center opened in 2015. This facility offers enhanced readily accessible services to youth with behavioral health crises in order to avoid psychiatric hospitalizations, and to youth who are displaying behaviors that place them at risk. The Respite Center is set up similar to a group home environment and will minimize the trauma associated with the child's situation.
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Scheib Board of Directors wishes to thank the local community for providing the funds needed for these and other projects. Ours is a caring community and they have shown that by opening their hearts and opening their wallets.
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One thing is for sure: Incredible people have taken care of the Scheib Center in the past and are continuing to do so today!