In this issue, you'll read about the legacy Rebecca Harrison (co-founder) left behind, pictures from the 30s/40s group, featured volunteer, Debbie Morrill, and more!
MARCH 2025
ISSUE 7
THE UEF MAGAZINE
WHERE PEOPLE FIND THEIR COMMUNITY
SHARING THE LINK TO OUR FREE DIGITAL MAGAZINE IS ENCOURAGED AND APPRECIATED!
© 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNIVERSAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION; SCHOOL OF ORIGINAL THOUGHT ™
BOARD MEMBERS:
HOSSCA HARRISON - FOUNDER TAMI URBANEK - PRESIDENT
ANDREA MACDONALD - VICE PRESIDENT TINA HERRING- SECRETARY/TREASURER JASON HARRISON - DIRECTOR OF FACILITY MAINTENANCE JOSEPH ARMEANIO - BOARD DIRECTOR BETHANY SNOW - DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Magazine written and organized by Tami Urbanek
CONTENTS
UNIVERSAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION 501 C 3 NONPROFIT
301 E PLATTE AVE COLORADO SPRINGS DOWNTOWN ON PLATTE AND WEBER
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WHO WE ARE 01 About the UEF
IN LOVING MEMORY, REBECCA 02-03 Co-founder, Rebecca Harrison left a legacy
DEBBIE MORRILL Featured volunteer and her healing journey
09 MAY ARTWALK Join us in May 2025!
30S/40S GROUP OUTING 07 School of Original Thought - 30s/40s peer group outing!
08 CLOHTING GIVEAWAY Thank you for coming!
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COS NONPROFIT COLLAB
INFO/CONTACT/DONATIONS
A support network for Colorado Springs nonprofits - meets monthly
Who We Are
The Universal Education Foundation was founded in 1986, by Hossca and Rebecca Harrison. Years ago Hossca received a vision, after being in a coma, to establish a unique healing center, a healing center that would assist ones to heal outside of traditional thought and perceptions. Since 1986, the UEF has worked with children and their families to create a balance in the family unit. When balance does not exist, pain, anger and fear are the result. Multiply this with all members of a family, the environment becomes explosive. Change is inevitable; how you choose to change is not. If something is not working, it is time to make a different choice, to create a different experience in life. Now is the time to heal. Since 2021, the UEF has called Colorado Springs its forever home. In its current space, we provide free support to those seeking change, growth and community. Everyone needs a space in which they feel welcomed, valued and heard. We are a community that provides caring, compassion and connection. We always will. The board consists of eight people. Together and with the support of community volunteers, we create the space for many to interact and heal.
The UEF does not have any employees.
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in Loving Memory, Rebecca
Our co-founder, Rebecca Harrison and wife to Hossca Harrison (co-founder) peacefully passed in January 2025. She was loved and with family when she passed.
Rebecca was admired for her strength, devotion to family/purpose and beautiful compassion.
She was a woman who tended to be on the quiet side and one who carried an abundance of love for her life and those in it and around her. She also loved to laugh. She was fiercely protective of her family and everything they wanted to create for themselves and others. Including the UEF. While the initial vision of the UEF occurred to Hossca around the time of his coma (1980), it was Rebecca who was the driving force behind the creation of our nonprofit. She had a strong compassion for humanity and knew anyone could be reached...if they wanted to. She knew all people deserved compassion, assistance and a guiding light. Together, Hossca and Rebecca hosted groups for teens, who were incarcerated for various reasons, in nature in the San Luis Valley. This was a place where teens could connect outside of their typical environment and maybe, just maybe, see there was a different style of life to be led. This was just the beginning of the UEF!
Rebecca did this while also raising a family and helping run a business.
She will always be admired, respected, loved and missed. She has left a legacy of compassion and commitment to being in service to humanity.
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Rebecca and hossca harrison
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BY TAMI URBANEK
Featured volunteer: Debbie Morrill Debbie volunteers her time to co-facilitate the weekly high school age teen group and the young adult peer group. Soon after moving into our Colorado Springs building, I knew I wanted to create a group, a support system, for young people. Groups that would be inclusive, judgment-free and compassionate.
I asked Debbie, a person I’ve known since 2006, if she’d like to join me in this adventure. Her answer was a resounding yes.
I have many years experience in working with youth (starting in 1995/1996), as well as, running groups for different ages (including youth). I knew with Debbie’s lengthy and similar experience she would jump in and we could/would create these groups together. It has been quite the journey! Ups, downs and sideways.
I am grateful for Debbie as a friend and co-facilitator.
I asked Debbie to write an article on her own healing journey.
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BY DEBBIE MORRILL
Healing is a journey
Many have asked me how I got involved in working with teens. I used to say I stumbled upon it. What is the truth? Did I live the life I did to gain knowledge I could offer others on their own journey? The answer lies in the journey… As a teen I carried much anger. I was consistently at odds with my family. To top it off, I had a son when I had just turned 20. While I loved him dearly, I brought a lot of childhood baggage into being a mom. I had many negative beliefs of not being worthy of love, being ugly, fat, an outcast and an all-around failure as a woman and daughter. Also, I believed I was weak if I asked for help. I didn’t know what healing was, or even words like choice, accountability and self-love. I only knew self-punishment, pushing people away and attracting toxic/abusive relationships. I was quite comfortable with my struggles so I held onto them for many years. I’d say I wanted to be in charge of my life, have great relationships and be happy. Yet my outcomes where the same; my pain was the same. My issues felt like a massive mountain I could never climb. I began asking for assistance, yet didn’t know how to accept it...so I wouldn’t. What I really wanted was to be taken care of because I did not believe I had the power within me to heal. I would do some work and some things would change, such as getting rid of toxic friends and building positive friendships. However, the root of why I didn’t feel worthy of love stayed the same. In the midst of all this, something magical happened: I found my passion to work with teens and families. There was an excitement that permeated every part of my being-ness I had not experienced before. On cue, good ‘ole doubt raised its nasty head asking ’are you the right person to work with teens? You don’t even cook, still have messy family relationships...blah blah blah’.
‘SHUT UP’, I replied! For this joy of assisting youth was stronger. I changed careers, and left a comfortable, passionless job. Best decision ever was following my passion!
As I worked with teens and parents, I gave them loving advice which helped all of them tremendously, yet didn’t take this advice for myself.
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CONT.
A wise teacher once stated: “how much pain one endures is always by choice, based upon the level of denial of their own heart.” I decided it was time for me to get really honest with myself. Did I really want to put in the work to create the change I desire? The answer was no. Because I didn’t believe joy or healing was possible. This was my lie I held onto for decades.
Getting real with myself was THE moment when I was able to get to work on the root of my pain.
As we all know, nothing changes when you’re comfortable. It takes courage to get uncomfortable. It also takes patience, having a strong support system in place, and being kind and gentle with yourself while you stumble and made mistakes you can learn from. Most of all it takes commitment (with passion) and consistent choices to support that commitment. It wasn’t until I was 100% committed to myself, that the real work began. It’s called forgiveness. I learned to fully forgive, one must: forgive self, the event and the other person/people. I had much to forgive. The key for me in this process was to be patient, compassionate with myself and to stop the judgement when it surfaced (which was a lot). This, for me, was very uncomfortable. It meant letting go of the pain and judgement I had been quite comfortable holding onto. No one else was involved in this work, only me. It also meant learning to accept assistance to support my journey. Assistance came in many different and unexpected ways and it was important for me to be open to it. Forgiveness was THE game changer in my life, as was being in gratitude often. My commitment has always been teaching youth they have a voice, they matter, they are worthy of love and they are loved. While I taught them and stood up for them, I ended up doing the same for myself and healed much of my mountain along the way. Last year, a wonderful teacher named Joseph shared that healing is a chain over time. If one is going to accept assistance and be willing to pass it on over time, this is a healing chain. It’s true I did the work. It is also true I had and have many wonderful teachers and support along the way for which I am eternally grateful. Most of all, it’s been such an honor to be in service to teens and their families. For we are all students, we are all teachers and everyone has the ability to love themselves and find their passion in life.
This beautiful and wild ride, I call the healing journey, continues.
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WRITTEN BY TAMI URBANEK
30s and 40s Peer - group outing The School of Original Thought - Peer Group 30s/40s played laser tag and bowling in lieu of our regular meeting! We had a great time simply enjoying ourselves and each other.
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BY TAMI URBANEK
Clothing giveaway
We had our most recent Clothing Giveaway in February 2025. We feel it’s important for anyone to receive free/donated clothing in an environment that cares and are judgment-free and hassle-free. When people enter the large room for clothing/shoes, we like to greet them and assist them however we can in selecting what they need.
We are honored to have this opportunity to be of service to the Colorado Springs community.
Also a big thank you to our volunteers, Sharon, Jeannie, Jan and Jenavie, who greatly assisted and a big thanks to those who donated their clothing!
Follow our social media on updates for our next one, later, in 2025!
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May Art Walk!
We will be having an art show in May 2025!
Please follow our social media and/or website - we’ll have information up soon!
Beautiful art, beverages, snacks and friends on the first Friday in May.
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Networking and Support
Colorado springs nonprofit collaborative; we are the change
The Colorado Springs Collaborative; We Are The Change creates the space for nonprofits to provide information, resources and encouragement for each other. We (all of us) are here to build a strong community within the local nonprofit sector. Once per month we meet in the morning or afternoon (rotates each month) to discuss ideas, strategies, challenges and a group-chosen topic. After each meeting a follow-up summary/meeting notes is sent to everyone in the group. In between meetings, we share ideas, events and information to support each other's organization and its mission.
We will try Zoom for April and May 2025 to see if helps with accommodating schedules.
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INFORMATION AND CONTACT
Teen Peer Group - For teens (high school age) Tuesdays 4pm-5pm - snacks and water provided
Young Adult Peer Group - For young adults (ages 18-29) Tuesdays 5:30pm - 7pm - snacks and water provided
School of Original Thought - peers 30s/40s Group - 2nd and 4th Thursday 5:30pm-7pm - water/coffee/tea provided
Parents Supporting Parents Group - 1st and 3rd Thursday 5:30pm-7pm - water/coffee/tea provided
Clothing Giveaways - several times per year, we host a free clothing shopping experience in our large downstairs room. Come browse and select clean/donated clothing and take home with you! Follow our social media for event dates.
Venue Space - contact us if you’d like to inquire about renting our space as a venue.
First Friday Art Walk - on select first Fridays of the month, come browse beautiful art, visit with the artist, have a snack and a beverage.
Facebook : facebook.com/TheUniversalEducationFoundation Instagram : @universaleducationfoundation TikTok : @universaledfound
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www.universaleducationfoundation.org
All donations are tax-deductible. Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated and support the space and groups.
Contact Tami at Tami@universaleducationfoundation.org for more information on groups and events.
For venue space, contact Andrea at andrea.macdonald@honcha.org
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