JEFC gets facelift

Fonda Bock
Public Affairs Office

FONDA BOCK
The newly renovated Junior Enlisted Family Center reading area.

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“Rundown,” “cluttered” and “really quite a dump” are some of the words that have been used in the past to describe the building that houses the Junior Family Enlisted Center.

The carpet was worn out, the paint dull and there wasn’t enough shelving to neatly stack the goods and merchandise the center offers young Soldiers. Carol Serna, program specialist for the JFEC, said, “no matter what I did it still looked ‘blah.’”

Now, after a $75,000 facelift, Serna thinks “wow” is the reaction she’ll get when clients walk into the century-old building on Slater Road.

“It looks 100 percent better,” said Serna.

The walls have been painted tan, new carpet installed, additional cabinet space and shelving added to neatly stack clothes and books, the pantry area expanded, and the restrooms redesigned to accommodate persons with disabilities.

The new look was proudly revealed during a grand reopening ceremony Monday.

Maj. Gen. Michael A. Vane, post commanding general, said, “This is about making Team Bliss a better place to live and work and make it better for our young Soldiers.”

The JEFC is a place where young, enlisted Soldiers who’ve recently moved to the area and arrived before their belongings or are having financial difficulties can come and get donated clothing, household goods, toys, furniture when available and food with a referral, all at no charge.

A big upgrade was made to one of the center’s most utilized services: the food locker. The area was expanded and two commercial size freezers were added. That means, in addition to canned foods and dry goods, the pantry can now stock meats, bread and other perishable items. Serna said the center has been able to help a lot of families through this program.

“I had a lady come in here and she goes, ‘my husband has left me. I have no money and my children are hungry.’ I didn’t bother to ask her [to] go get a referral. I helped her out,” said Serna.

A 23-year-old private who asked not to be identified came into the center for the first time Monday. Married with a two-year-old child, he recently ran into financial problems. With a referral from his supervisor, he immediately was given two bags of groceries full of fruit, vegetables, rice, breakfast food, shampoo and diapers for his child. The young Soldier said the JFEC helped him out a lot.

“I mean, I had no money and no means to feed my family … if it weren’t for these people here doing what they’re doing, I wouldn’t have anywhere to go. I’d have to borrow some money … [now] I don’t have to go put myself in more debt trying to feed my family,” said the Soldier.

There is also an area for children furnished with a playhouse, toys and books. Just across from the children’s section is a reading corner for adults with two chairs flanked by shelves of books and a ceiling light. There is also a large meeting room open for use to any organization on post, a ceramics shop and a kitchen for future cooking classes.

Gert Peck, executive director of the Armed Services YMCA of El Paso and Fort Bliss, the agency that oversees the center, maintains said with the expectation of thousands of additional troops and their families being placed at Fort Bliss in the coming years, the upgrades became imperative.

Vane’s wife Liane, chairwoman of the renovation committee, mentioned they wanted to spruce up the center for the JEFC and their families.

“[We wanted to] make it look nice and make it more inviting, and I thought, if we’re going to do it, let’s go all the way. And we had enough organizations that were willing to help,” said Liane.

Almost 30 organizations and businesses, on and off post, donated all the time, materials and money to make this project a reality.