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Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc.

Empowering people of all abilities.

Resource Center for Independent Living ensures older adults and individuals with disabilities are able to fully participate in and engage with their communities. Hannaford has supported this nonprofit organization through the Hannaford Helps Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs.

Tell us about Resource Center for Independent Living.

On October 13, 1983, Resource Center for Independent Living (RCIL) started as an Independent Living Center to assist individuals with disabilities. For over 40 years, its mission has been to ensure a fully accessible, integrated society that enables full participation by people with disabilities and older adults. It is fundamental that all our advocacy, programming, and services ensure confidentiality and guard against exploitation, paternalism, and segregation, thus safeguarding the principle of empowerment.

RCIL empowers individuals through a range of services that prioritize consumer control and person-centered care. We promote a dynamic environment where society and the individual mutually benefit from a world with no limits.

We promote a dynamic environment where society and the individual mutually benefit from a world with no limits.

To provide services, we operate in four different locations. RCIL headquarters is located at 131 Genesee Street in Utica, NY. RCIL has a second office in Utica, the Dorothy Smith Center for Advocacy, at 1607 Genesee Street. There are two additional offices outside the City of Utica, one in Herkimer, NY and another in Amsterdam, NY. These different locations allow us to serve a wide demographic area.

What services do you provide to the community?

RCIL provides consumer services, advocacy services, and elderly services.

Consumer services foster independence for individuals with disabilities and help avoid unnecessary institutionalization.

Advocacy services provide both individual and systemic advocacy in areas of health, education, employment, and daily living. For example, if someone wants to obtain a job, we can assist them.

RCIL also provides elderly services for individuals with disabilities, including both a social adult day care program and information and referral services for caretakers. The social adult day care program runs Monday through Friday at the Dorothy Smith Center for Advocacy. Individuals can come to receive hot meals, socialize, and partake in all kinds of activities. This offers respite for family members and the security of knowing their loved ones are in a safe environment.

In addition, we started offering a service to older adults and people with disabilities who want to stay in their homes, providing an environment where they feel most comfortable. In Companion Care, our highly trained staff go to an individual’s home and offer help with daily living activities.

Tell us a story that illustrates the good work of your organization.

One of the programs RCIL provides throughout the State of New York is the Self-Direction program. One of the many benefits of the Self-Direction program is that the services and supports are individualized to each participant’s needs. In this program, the participants hire their own staff, select the goals they would like to work on, and schedule and direct their staff’s work schedules.

Self-direction also allows participants to attend community classes and camps and have memberships of their choosing, for which they can be reimbursed. There are many opportunities participants can utilize in completely individualized ways.

At RCIL, one of the many individuals we support has utilized her Self-Direction budget and services since 2017 to enrich her life in many ways. Because of the Self-Direction program, this participant has been able to attend many classes of interest to her, including art classes, cooking and baking classes, a theater program, vocal lessons, and an annual summer camp.

This participant wishes to be a lifelong learner and has chosen to hire staffing support to assist her with pursuing her interests out in the community. Because of the services and support she receives, this participant has grown exponentially in socializing and wanting to pursue new interests and hobbies. Some examples include attending proms/balls, going to the movies, going on hikes with her staff to stay active and fit, and running a school store in which the profits are utilized to donate to a scholarship fund in honor of a late family member.

Without the Self-Direction program, this participant would not have as many opportunities to integrate into her community while simultaneously exploring her passions and interests. Her family has thanked members of the RCIL Self-Direction team time and time again for their support and for the work RCIL does to support their daughter in achieving her goals and dreams.

What is your most outstanding achievement or contribution to the community?

RCIL is most proud of promoting equal rights for individuals with disabilities. Our biggest project has been promoting equal rights for people with disabilities through the Americans with Disabilities Act.

RCIL is most proud of promoting equal rights for individuals with disabilities.

What do you want people to know about Resource Center for Independent Living?

RCIL offers services to individuals no matter what their age or disability is.

We are always evolving. Some newer programs that RCIL offers are the Many Hearts Companion Care Program, the Nurse Navigation Program, and the Veteran Directed Care Program. Companion Care offers consumers emotional support, meal preparation, transportation, and other services. The Nurse Navigation Program enables anyone to talk to a nurse who can direct them to a specific program. Finally, the Veteran Directed Care Program helps veterans live independently.

RCIL services are provided in the community to foster the independence of the individual. Individuals can come to RCIL to discuss their options for services.

How will you use the funds you’ve received from the Hannaford Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?

RCIL cares about wellness for individuals. The funds have been used to create a Relaxation Room where individuals receiving services and staff can relax. The purpose of the Relaxation Room is to provide individuals with a multisensory, quiet, and calm place to decompress for a few minutes throughout their day. The room has soft lighting. Here, you also are able to listen to quiet music if you choose to.

The Relaxation Room provides a mental health break for both our staff and individuals with disabilities.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for Hannaford’s generous support and partnership with RCIL. Your commitment to making a positive impact in our community is truly commendable, and we are honored to have Hannaford Supermarkets as a valued ally in our mission.

RCIL deeply appreciates Hannaford Supermarkets’ dedication to corporate social responsibility and willingness to invest in the well-being of our community. Your support goes beyond financial assistance. It empowers us to continue our vital work of fostering independence, advocating for equal rights, and providing essential services to individuals with disabilities and older adults in our region.

Your partnership not only sustains our existing programs but also fuels innovation and growth, allowing us to expand our reach and enhance the quality of life for those we serve. Together, we are creating lasting, positive change that ripples through our community, inspiring others to join us in building a more inclusive society.

Together, we are creating lasting, positive change that ripples through our community, inspiring others to join us in building a more inclusive society.

Thank you, Hannaford Supermarkets, for standing with us in our mission to empower individuals, promote equality, and enrich lives. Your commitment exemplifies the true spirit of corporate citizenship, and we look forward to continuing this impactful partnership for years to come.

Interview with Jennifer DePasquale, Executive Assistant to the CEO, and Peter Franchell, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Published on: October 2, 2024.