By Forrest Newton
WINNEMUCCA - Lack of funding may require closing the doors of Winnemucca's 30-year-old adult training facility for individuals with developmental disabilities.
According to Sonoma Industries board member and treasurer Pat Canter, the organization began operating at a loss in 2009. To stay in business they are taking from investments made years ago. If nothing changes she thinks they will run out of money to keep the doors open by May 31 of this year and has so informed the board.
"We consider ourselves in dire straits," she said.
According to Canter in 2007, before the legislature cut back funding, they had a total income of $184,000. Of that, $99,000 came from jobs and day training (JDT) funding and $67,000 came from the thrift store, with the majority of the balance coming from contracts and donations.
In 2011 the total brought in was $133,000, with $88,000 coming from JDT, $32,000 coming from the thrift store and the balance of $13,000 coming primarily from investments with the rest from donations and contracts.
Most of their funding comes from Nevada Rural Services JDT funds, which Canter said was reduced when state funds began to dry up a few years ago.
Rural Services enters into contracts with providers, of which Sonoma is one, and the client or parent or guardian and any others that will be working together to enhance the life of the individual. As a provider, Sonoma is paid based on the needs of each individual client. If Sonoma appeared to be closing, Rural Services would try to find another certified provider in Nevada to expand to Winnemucca.
"We're agreeable to just about anything that can keep Sonoma Industries up and running," said Barbara Legier, state director of Rural Services. "We want them (clients) to be healthy and safe."
Bill Hammargren, Winnemucca Rural Services supervisor, said they are ready to continue to help.
"Whatever we can do to support them to be successful. There's a lot of people that really count on them. So whatever we can do within our guidelines, which are the NRS (Nevada Revised Statutes) and the NAC (Nevada Administrative Code), we would be more than happy to do," he said. "We'll do everything in our power to see it happen."
Sheri Allen, Sonoma Industries chair, said, "We have a real decline in state-level funding. Our revenue comes from the thrift store and it's a little more competitive now. We have a couple more thrift stores available in our community. So, that's pretty much what has happened."
One of the problems they run into that other thrift stores don't is that they must pay their clients and therefore have all the associated expenses that come with having employees. That expense has risen. Clients at Sonoma are employees because they are paid for the work they do even though it is essentially a training program.
"We've been a real part of this community since 1980," Allen said. "Providing support to persons who want to discover and achieve their dreams."
The 11 employees at Sonoma are taught how to take care of themselves and how to do various kinds of jobs. Some of those jobs are in the facility at 3280 Bengochea Circle and some at other locations, but all are intended to help employees become more self-sufficient.
Dawn Marie West, Sonoma director, said that the employees work hard at taking care of the thrift store. Under supervision of the staff they pretty much do everything that needs to be done. They also do laundry and windows for local businesses.
"They do a lot. They're busy. They're not standing around," she said.
Not only are they learning to be productive in house, but they get out often and do a lot of the shopping for groceries and supplies the organization needs.
They also collect cans. But on occasion the cans have been stolen after someone was good enough to drop them off at Sonoma, thereby reducing the organization's income. And then there are the bins.
"We have people who steal out of our bins when we're not here!" West said. "This money goes to their (employee's) paychecks."
She said that they are in need of more involvement from the community, such as volunteering to help sort donated items and financial help to keep the doors open.
"We need help. We need support from other people to give us ideas," West said.
The clients work a six-hour day, which includes an hour for lunch and a couple of coffee breaks.
They would like to contact the mines to see if they can get some help there, but they don't have an extra hand to do those things that need to be done to provide the income by making the contacts needed.
West said, that unlike other thrift stores, they have to pay insurance and taxes because their clients are considered employees who receive a mandatory wage.
"They (other thrift stores) don't have all this money going out and out and out," she said. "We do!"
West said the training center is foundering from inadequate income and little hope of finding more anytime soon.
Parents and guardians are thankful for the help Sonoma has given their children over the years that encourages growth in their ability to handle their own needs.
"Sonoma Industries is very, very successful and other organizations have seen they're successful," said parent John Arant.
He said that in other thrift shops they have people who can do press releases and advertising, thus keeping their program before the public.
"You're always seeing them in the paper, but with Dawn and her staff they have their focus on development," Arant said. "This is a self-sufficient operation. These young people are earning their own. They're supporting their own education."
Parent Ron Fry noted that Sonoma is there for specific reasons.
"What this place is about is not labeling a person's handicap, but finding out what he or she can do," he said.
Fry noted that parents and caregivers are not always going to be around and it's nice to have a place where their children can learn skills that, if not make them self-sufficient, at least increase their ability to take care of themselves. Cleaning their rooms, making simple foods, washing clothes, washing dishes, etc. are the types of things that they learn that help them to take care of themselves.
"They will not lie to you. They're not deceitful. They're not hateful. They love everybody. They have a Christlike love. They hold no grudges," Fry said.
Parent Helen Hurtado said that her son Dale Leidner, 50, has some memory problems, but is able to take care of himself in many ways, such as hygiene, picking out his own food, doing his laundry, making his bed, etc.
"He's very, very happy here. Very happy," she said. "He never complains. He loves to go for rides. He loves to go out and eat."
Leidner just loves to go. He goes to karaoke. He goes to his friend's house and plays Wii. He goes to taco night at Las Margaritas. He goes to church, out to lunch, out bowling ...
"I think Dale would be very lonely and depressed if he didn't get out and go to work," Hurtado said.
Not having the Sonoma program would be difficult for her son as he would not have the friendships he has formed over the 10 years he has been there nor be able to continue developing his work experience.
Hurtado said that at 77 she feels she is too old to get out with him much and Sonoma allows her son the opportunity to expand his horizons beyond what she would be able to do for him personally.
"I get tired," she said. "I just do the best I can."
Traci Edgington and her husband Mark recently returned to Winnemucca with their daughter Chandra, but were told by the state that there was a waiting list of 70 people before they could get back in the program.
"She's in desperate need of services," Traci said. "She can't read or write. She just needs help."
During the time they were in the program here in 2009 she said that Chandra learned social skills, hygiene and job training. Mark said it was the highlight of her day just to go do something and Sonoma offered her a place to go and develop. They said that when they were here last time their daughter would get up two hours before it was time to go because she was so excited.
"The wages they make up here makes that possible for them to interact and be normal," Mike said. "Right now she's very bored."
Chandra was injured in a car wreck and they were told that she would never be able to walk, but Sonoma has been there for her.
"They have helped her with her motor skills, her life skills, how to clean properly, how to integrate with people," Traci said. "When she first came (to Sonoma) she was very shy. She's ain't shy no more!"
"The program gives us peace of mind," Mark said. "It's a family program. For her to go backward in her life would just destroy us."
Sonoma is not in need of more stuff for the thrift store as they have plenty already, but West said they would like to have more contracts from businesses doing such things as laundry and windows.
"This allows them to have as normal a life as possible," she said.
Employee Jacob Arant, 23, said that he has been a client for six years and really enjoys coming to work.
"The people are a lot of fun to work around," he said. "If Sonoma closed I'd probably be crushed."
Justin Moore, 37, who has also been an employee at Sonoma about six years, noted that they can't talk to each other while they're working. He enjoys coming to work and talking to customers and operating the cash register. Just like most people he said that although he enjoys his job he works to make money so that he can pay his bills.
"We've been here a long time and we need to keep going," he said. "Some people don't know we exist."
The training is open-ended. An employee is allowed leeway to develop his or her own way to accomplish a task and is given whatever time is needed to get it done.
West said the program is vital to the participants.
"The day goes just like that. They're happy and when they get their paycheck they think they've got a million dollars," she said. "They're really proud of what they do. When they come through the door they're really smiling."
West said that the staff hasn't had a raise in three years, however, she notes they don't complain about their circumstances because they are dedicated to helping the employees expand and grow.
"We'll do anything that keeps it open," she said.
If you would like to help Sonoma or if you have any questions you can call West at 623-4536.
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