Center for Living Independently board members and CNMI officials cut the ceremonial ribbon of the one-stop disability training center on Capital Hill, Friday.
President John F. Kennedy’s bust is displayed at the Center for Living Independently’s new facility on Capital Hill.
A ONE-STOP disability training center on Capital Hill officially opened Friday morning.
The project was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs, Capital Improvement Project Manager Elizabeth Balajadia, PE, said.
“In 2019, through the collaboration of the Center for Living Independently, the Lady Diann Torres Foundation, Northern Marianas College, the Council of Developmental Disabilities, and the Office of Planning Development, a request to renovate Building No. 1365 and a grant proposal were submitted to the OIA. In February 2020, a grant in the amount of $920,000 was awarded,” she said.
CLI Executive Director Susan Satur thanked and expressed her appreciation to all the individuals and agencies involved in completing the project.
“I would like to thank the governor and the lt. governor for all the continued support to the disability community,” she added.
In his remarks, Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang congratulated and thanked all the people involved in the project. “This is a beautiful, renovated building that will create a one-stop training center for individuals with disabilities,” he said.
One of the highlights of CLI’s new facility is the bust of former President John F. Kennedy donated by the Saipan Mayor’s Office.
Kennedy championed the cause of equality for all Americans, with a particular focus on citizens living with disabilities who needed extra support during a time when they faced exclusion from mainstream society. His advocacy led to the historic signing of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance Act on Oct. 31, 1963.
In his remarks, Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho said he was moved by the speeches he heard at the proclamation signing for the 2023 Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and the Saipan Champions of Equal Opportunity.
He said he learned that in 1963, Kennedy signed the Maternal and Child Health and Mental Retardation Planning Amendment to the Social Security Act, now known as the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, which prompted him to look for the bust of the late president that was once displayed outside Mount Carmel Cathedral.
He said when he found the bust, he called the officials of the agencies that deal with people with disabilities — Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities Council, Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems Inc. and CLI.
“We were…meeting in my office, and I told them that I had the [bust] of JFK with me. Where do you want to [display it?] They started thinking, discussing, and then they came up with one location, which is right here,” Camacho said, referring to the one-stop training center.
Camacho said the bust “serves as a symbol of hope — it signifies our commitment to creating a community where anyone regardless of their background or circumstances can dream and overcome any challenge. Today let us pay tribute not only to JFK, but also to the countless individuals who had advocated for the rights and independence of those with disabilities. I want to honor and thank the caregiver, the family, the advocate, and the champion of inclusivity for your endless dedication in helping our people with disability,” the mayor added.
At the new one-stop training center, individuals with disabilities can learn necessary skills such as cooking, meal planning, gardening, computer literacy and others in order to live independently.
The center was structured to serve its consumers with a new parking lot as well as ADA-compliant amenities in its kitchen, restrooms, and training room with a covered walkway that connects to the CLI.
Lt. Gov. David Apatang, Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Saipan Mayor Ramon B. Camacho, and Office of Insular Affairs Field Representative Harry Blanco at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the one-stop training center for individuals with disabilities, Friday, on Capital Hill.
