Colorado nonprofit teaching relationship skills loses federal funding, president feels "like she got punched in the gut"

The work of a Colorado nonprofit that teaches relationship skills has hit a roadblock. After decades spent in Colorado schools, the Center for Relationship Education has lost its federal funding and had to lay off the majority of its employees.

What's your love language? How do you set boundaries and solve conflict in your relationships? These are the kind of questions that high schoolers learn to answer through the Center for Relationship Education's programming.

Tuesday, during the center's final rotation, Cherry Creek High School students learned the skills that make a good friend, community member and partner.

"We're going to throw Mohammed a words of affirmation party here," said Lauren Reitsema, president of the Center for Relationship Education.

"It says you have got a great smile. You're the GOAT of soccer," another center employee said while placing a balloon with a compliment into a large sweatshirt as part of a lesson centered around love languages.

"It was kind of fun to see what people thought about you," said student Mohammed Elamen, the student who was part of the demonstration.

"Different people want different types of connections. And I would say that, through this activity, we learned what those different examples could be," his friend Will Waryn said.

The Center for Relationship Education was founded by Reitsema's mother in the 90s. It gained nonprofit status in 2003.

"For true life success, people need to have healthy connections," said Reitsema.

Today, Reitsema runs the center, which has trained teachers, military families and corporate groups across the country.

"There's a lot of gaps in the training that we receive about how to be connected and how to be healthy, in our friend groups, in our sports teams, in our coaching and in our future romantic relationships," said Reitsema.

Each year, they teach relationship skills to 1,500 Colorado students.

"We look at conflict styles, de-escalation, how to manage healthy coping strategies, resilience, avoiding peer pressure, navigating healthy connections and friendships," said Reitsema.

For the last 20 years, the center has relied on a federal Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood grant, awarded in 5-year blocks. But this year, they were denied funding.

"I felt like I got punched in the gut. I had to lay off 10 people that have worked faithfully for us -- for some, decades -- and people who are really skilled and care deeply about the students that we serve," said Reitsema.

Reitsema doesn't know why.

"We had all of the benchmarks we were supposed to hit. We had a perfect audit, we had a ton of testimonials, some research that was showing good evidence in our programming. And so we came into this particular proposal very confident, and are still, at this point, six weeks later, scratching our heads in curiosity and in wonderment," said Reitsema.

The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet responded to a CBS Colorado inquiry about why the grant was denied.

Reitsema is now searching for new funding sources.

"It was shocking and it truly broke my heart, but it didn't break our mission, and we're determined to put one foot in front of the other and see what's next for a new normal," said Reitsema.

So students like these can continue to learn some of life's most valuable lessons.

"I think I'll be more aware of, like, what my friends love languages are, or, like, what their boundaries are, and tell them mine," said student Georgiana Mechem.

"I did learn that my mom is more so a service type of person," said student Toby Smith. "I think with that newfound understanding because of this class, I will be incorporating that into my relationship with my mom."

After this school rotation ends Monday, all of the center's programs will have to be frozen until they can secure more funding.