Carson City's RCIL makes case for federal recognition

About 20 people gathered in the Bonanza Room at the Carson City Community Center Thursday night for a town hall meeting hosted by the State Independent Living Committee (SILC), part of the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division.

The meeting's purpose was to elicit public comments about how federal funds for centers for independent living are to be dispersed in the community.

Most of the people attending were there to support Carson City's Rural Center for Independent Living and the Do Drop In, a 501(c)3 non-profit agency that currently receives no federal recognition and no federal money to operate.

The RCIL, located at 1895 E. Long Street in Carson City, was founded 16 years ago by Dee Dee Foremaster, a licensed Nevada social worker.

Along with the Do Drop In, a day center established by Foremaster in 2005, the RCIL operates entirely on donations and relies completely on volunteers to run.

This includes Foremaster, the center director, who not only devotes most of her time running the RCIL and Do Drop In, but she also buys bus passes with her own money and uses her own car to transport and run errands for her clients.

"She (Foremaster) should be recognizd greatly," said Roger Satterly, a center volunteer who spoke at the meeting. "But she does need help. She's a hard working woman, and she has all volunteers helping her out."

Clients Dean and Angie Baird also attended the town hall meeting, speaking in support of Foremaster and her center.

"I met Dee Dee two years ago," Angie Baird said. "I'm asking that you guys all support her because she's helped all of us."

"This woman has been a mentor," Dean Baird addressed State Independent Living Committee Chair Scott Youngs, the meeting's facilitator from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Brad Cahill drove down from South Lake Tahoe, CA, to speak at the meeting in support of Foremaster and the center she has headed for almost two decades.

He spoke about Foremaster's efforts to help one of his own clients access housing and employment resources.

"Dee Dee's been very helpful in helping him get on his feet," Cahill said. "I have a lot of respect and admiration for her, and she's become a good friend of mine in the process."

Foremaster also addressed committee representatives, making her case for the RCIL and Do Drop In to be federally recognized and receive funds.

"The Rural Center for Independent Living and Do Drop In services people in Carson City, Storey, Lyon and Douglas counties," she told the SILC. "I'm here, along with my clients, to ask that our center be recognized in these counties as the center for independent living that has provided services for the past 16 years."

Foremaster said the RCIL and Do Drop In provides advocacy, assistance with Social Security matters, as well as help securing housing, food, material -- e.g., clothing and home furnishings -- and transportation.

But transportation service for her program is one item she would like to see expand with funds.

"It's one of the biggest barriers for clients," Foremaster said, "and it's one of the greatest needs we have right now."

Currently, clients are limited either to relying on the Jump Around Carson (JAC) public transit system, which operates limited hours, or volunteers like Foremaster in their private automobiles to meet transportation needs.

Foremaster also said she would like to see funding for a recreation program as part of the Do Drop In, which is designed to be a day center for the homeless and disabled.

"We seek a recreation program," Foremaster said. "But we have not yet found the funding to assist with this."

Foremaster said she is fighting to keep the RCIL's distinction as the independent living center for the rural counties of Western Nevada.

It's about gaining state and federal recognition, she said, to qualify for much-needed funds that can meet the growing needs of homeless and disabled people in Carson City, Douglas, Storey and Lyon counties.

"I've been homeless and jobless," Greg Medugno said to the committee. "The RCIL has given me food, clothing, housing and advice."

He credits the RCIL with helping him obtain employment, too.

"It helped me get a job as a personal care attendant," he said. "I am hoping this will turn the tides toward our needs."

Scott Pruitt, another center volunteer, expressed similar sentiments.

"I've been homeless, and Dee Dee helped me get a place," he said. "It's (RCIL) a good place, and to get recognized would be really nice."

U.S. Navy veteran Thomas Kraft, who was homeless and sleeping in bushes when he first arrived in Carson City, credits Foremaster's efforts through the RCIL with helping him get on his feet.

"She funds things out of her own pocket," he said. "Most of the people I know that have known Dee Dee are all veterans. God bless America, and God bless this lady right here."

Carson City resident Kiale Hogue expressed his gratitude toward Foremaster and the RCIL, too, Thursday night.

"Because of this woman here, and everyone who helps her, I have my own place now," he said. "She got me off the street."

But, Hogue added, Foremaster did more than just help him secure housing.

"She taught me how to be independent, be on my own, and not be dependent on my disability," he said. "She is also helping me get my little 10 year old girl back."

Foremaster told her clients Thursday night that she was grateful for their support, and showing up to speak on behalf of the RCIL.