This month’s funded projects range from technology-based project to peer-to-peer-based programs. The committee looked over each grant and awarded the full amount requested to:

-Best Buddies of Nevada: Best Buddies of Nevada sought money for its project e-buddies, which helps people with disabilities connect with technology to achieve their personal goals. The money will support managerial expenses. The committee saw the e-buddies portion of the program as a way this Las Vegas-based program could begin to reach out to other areas in the state.

-Down Syndrome Network of Northern Nevada: As part of the organization’s First Call program, which seeks to give support to new parents of children with Down Syndrome, CAC funded welcome baskets and in-person support to the DSNNN. The welcome baskets will hold traditional new baby gifts and information about Down Syndrome and support for children with Down Syndrome. The money will also fund promotion of the program to hospitals and other health care professionals. The committee was impressed by the DSNNN’s specific and concrete goals.

-National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI seeks to educate people with mental illness about managing their illnesses in a variety of ways. The money from CAC will support training and outreach in a peer-to-peer structure. The committee felt that outreach to people with mental illness was particularly important and that the peer-to-peer model would be especially helpful.

-Northern Nevada Center for Independent Living: The NNCIL proposed purchasing bus passes for youth with disabilities in support of their transition program. With the $1,000, NNCIL will buy eight 31-ride passes and 480 2-ride passes. Again, the committee appreciated NNCIL’s specific and measurable goals.

-Northern Nevada Respite and Volunteer Experiences: RAVE programs support families with children with disabilities and their respite care and trains volunteers to work with those families. The proposal to CAC would help fund operational expenses, including marketing costs. The committee particularly liked RAVE’s inclusive nature: RAVE’s volunteers are high school students.

This was the first meeting when the committee members had a rubric to evaluate the grants before the meeting. The rubric is used mainly as a way to help members organize their thoughts. Part of the afternoon was spent re-writing what the next meeting’s rubric will address.

At today’s CAC meeting, the results of the awards were presented.
-RAGE: With funds from a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, RAGE was able to set up an operational center to help people with disabilities who may not qualify for services through the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation. The center is organized into five modules: resume writing, interviewing, job-related skills, life skills and job searching. RAGE hopes to begin training 12 people in one or more module each at the end of this month.
-PBS: PBS was able to hold two fulled-to-capacity potty training classes. PBS bought reusable toilet training dolls for demonstrations and provided child care to encourage parents to attend. The organization hopes to continue having classes in the future and reported that CAC’s funding helped PBS know what parts of the program to improve or eliminate next time. The group received high feedback ratings from participants and, though the organization planned for follow-up help, it has not been needed.
-NOTE-ABLES: The money for the Note-Ables was used to sponsor a table at the organization’s annual Evening of Romance community fundraiser. The seats were given or subsidized for people with disabilities and low income. Money from CAC’s grant was also used for marketing purposes. Evening of Romance is the Note-Able’s biggest fundraiser. This year brought in more than $4,000.

I am a Native Nevadan and have two boys, ages 11 and 15. My youngest son is on the autism spectrum. My passion is teaching special education and working with amazing people who have exceptional abilities. I have three degrees in education: a B.S. in both Elementary Education and Special Education and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction. I collect music and enjoy attending live music events.

I enjoy serving on CAC because it allows me to meet many dedicated people from so many different backgrounds who are all working to better our community.

I am a Native Nevadan and have two boys, ages 11 and 15. My youngest son is on the autism spectrum. My passion is teaching special education and working with amazing people who have exceptional abilities. I have three degrees in education: a B.S. in both Elementary Education and Special Education and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction. I collect music and enjoy attending live music events.

I enjoy serving on CAC because it allows me to meet many dedicated people from so many different backgrounds who are all working to better our community.

CAC members also had constructive feedback on ways to improve the grant process in the future.  This exercise was a great example of the diversity of the CAC membership assisting in its work.  A member of the CAC from Vocational Rehabilitation, who has extensive experience with grants, was able to offer ideas to the other members about using a grading matrix in the future to rate grants.  CAC members remarked at the most recent meeting that they felt they were doing important work.

CAC orientation training has been planned.  Using the AUCD’s CAC Orientation Curriculum, the Nevada CAC will be presented with one module per meeting.  NCED staff had adapted Module 1 with Nevada-specific information with a plan to present it at the January 8, 2010 CAC meeting.  The co-chairs, in planning the agenda, placed it last on the agenda.  With a full agenda, and the extensive review required by the Community Partner Fund mini-grants, there was only 30 minutes left for the training.  The co-chairs felt that the CAC members were too tired and that the training was too important to rush through, so they moved the training to the next meeting and promised to place it first on the agenda.