Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC)
2306 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95131
Phone: (408) 894-9041 FAX: (408) 894-9050
TDD: (408) 894-9012 website:
www.svilc.org
A previously scheduled "All County Town Hall" meeting in
San Jose organized by the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center for
today (February 13) from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at their main offices, 2306
Zanker Road in San Jose, will still go on. The San Jose town
hall will focus on the Governor's proposed budget cuts that impact people
with disabilities and others.
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center in an earlier announcement before
Cairns death said it "Invites all persons with disabilities,
sister agencies and organizations and any interested individuals to attend
an All-County Town Hall Meeting. With a coalition of our Consumers and
interested parties we will build a unified voice that Sacramento cannot
fail to hear."
If possible, they ask persons to RSVP the Silicon Valley Independent
Living Center, Lyn Saunders at (408) 894.9041 ext. 232. [Note: CDCAN
urges people to attend this local town hall, especially in the memory of
Cairns and the importance of the continued work of advocacy]
Cairns' passing follows the deaths of three other independent living
center executive directors that occurred in a six week period beginning
last August through early October. In addition, several independent
living centers have lost executive directors due to retirement. The
three other executive directors who passed away earlier:
* Jeannette Nishikawa, who was executive director of the Disabled
Resources Center, the Long Beach independent living center.
Nishikawa was a part of that center for over 27 years, the last 14 as
executive director.
* Mary Ann Jones, who was the executive director of the Westside
Independent Living in Los Angeles for the past ten years, who died less
than five weeks after Nishikawa.
* Bob Roberts, who was the executive director of the Marin Center
for Independent Living in Marin, died on October 6th, less
than two weeks after the death of Mary Ann Jones. Roberts was one
of the founders of the Marin Center for Independent Living and a
respected statewide disability advocate, and a board member of the
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers. To
add to the almost bizarre coincidences, the memorial service for
Nishikawa was held on the very day that Roberts passed away.
Cairns, like Jones and Nishikawa, and Roberts, were longtime
members and leaders with the statewide California Foundation for
Independent Living Centers (CFILC), headed by executive director Teresa
Favuzzi.
Favuzzi said her organization - and other independent living centers and
advocates were "stunned" and deeply saddened by the news of
Cairns death. About a third of the 29 independent living centers
in California have been hit by vacancies of their executive directors,
four by death, and others by retirement. Favuzzi said the
independent living centers were reeling from the continued losses and
deaths.
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center Founded in 1976
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center is a non-profit corporation,
founded in 1976, with offices in San Jose and also Gilroy. It
provides comprehensive services and information to all persons with
all types of disabilities.
Opportunity Knocks, a widely respected national non-profit job source,
in their First Annual "Best Nonprofits to Work For"
competition recently awarded Silicon Valley Independent Living
Center in its first annual "People's Choice Best Nonprofit To
Work For Award". Silicon Valley Independent Living Center
was one of the five winners in the “Operating Budget of $1.5
Million or Less” category.
Independent Living Centers (ILCs) are 501(c)(3) non-profit
organizations run and controlled by persons with disabilities and
are funded through a combination of federal and state funds. Many of
the independent living centers also receive funds
raised locally that support its work.
The independent living centers are non-residential,
community-based centers where people with all types of disabilities
can receive assistance with a variety of daily living issues and
learn the skills they need to take control of their lives from
people who have had similar experiences living with a disability.
The centers serve people with all types of disabilities and, with
some exceptions, do not charge for their services and provide four
core services:
* Information and Referral
* Peer counseling
* Independent living skills training
* Individual and Systems Change advocacy.
In addition centers may provide benefits counseling, employment
readiness training, housing referrals, assistive technology services
and legal aid. Many work closely with other local agencies,
including regional centers, area agencies on agency, housing
authorities, paratransit and public transportation agencies, county
welfare or human services and local federal agencies .
Services vary from center to center but all provide the four core
services mandated by federal legislation. For more information go to
the California Foundation for Independent Living (CFILC) website at
www.cfilc.org
URGENT:
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Without Borders
Connecting People With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors,
Traumatic Brain & other injuries, People with MS & other
health needs, including People of color, different languages,
cultures, Families, Workers, Providers, & Organizations to
Rights & Unified Action.
This report - and the
CDCAN townhall telemeetings, and other events and projects are for all
of them and for promoting advocacy without borders toward unified
action. We are one community.
To respond to this report reply to: Marty Omoto at martyomoto@rcip.com
CDCAN website: www.cdcan.us
To continue the CDCAN website,
the CDCAN News Reports. sent out and read by over 45,000 people
and organizations, policy makers and media across California and to
continue the CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings which since December 2003
have connected thousands of people with disabilities, seniors, mental
health needs, people with MS and other disorders, people with
traumatic brain and other injuries to public policy makers,
legislators, and issues. Please send your contribution/donation (make
payable to "CDCAN" or "California Disability Community
Action Network):
CDCAN
1225 8th Street Suite 480
Sacramento, CA 95814
Note: the paypal option on the CDCAN website is
temporarily not working and will be fixed soon.
The CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings are partially funded by a small
grant from the USC UCEDD, Grant #90DD0540 from the Administration on
Developmental Disabilities. (note: the opinions expressed or content
in these reports do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of
the USC UCEDD.
MANY MANY THANKS to Easter Seals of California, Parents Helping
Parents, UCP of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Work Training, FSNC,
Foothill Autism Alliance, Arc Contra Costa, Pause4Kids, Manteca CAPS,
Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for
Disability Rights, Inc (CDR) including CDR chapters, CHANCE Inc, ,
Strategies To Empower People (STEP), Alta California Regional
Center, Harbor Regional Center, Tri-Counties Regional Center, Asian
American parents groups, Resources for Independent Living and many
other Independent Living Centers, several regional centers, People
First chapters, IHSS workers, other self advocacy and family support
groups, developmental center families, adoption assistance program
families and children, and others across California
CDCAN
DISABILITY
RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
SACRAMENTO
(CDCAN) - Cheryl Cairns, the long time executive director of the
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center in San Jose, passed
away early Monday morning (February 11th), shocking and saddening her
staff and advocates in the area and across the state. She is the
fourth independent living center director to die since August.