SDC is a sacred place

The Sonoma Developmental Center is a sacred place. For decades, the dedicated, caring, highly trained staff have been caring for and assisting some of our most difficult, severely physically and mentally challenged people in our society to live their best life possible. And now the State claims it is taking away this sacred place. Just because they say so doesn’t make it so. As a person of faith, I believe we the people need to stand up for those who cannot do for themselves. We (the society) need to do this with humility, compassion, and with a moral/ethical conviction to accept our obligation to respect and defend the rights of others, especially those who cannot speak for themselves.

SDC is a sacred place and an ideal place for people and nature to mend, heal, and thrive. Society needs to honor this sacredness by keeping and/or adding social programs, not taking them away. Programs to aid people in need, such as long-term rehab facilities to care for addicts, shelter for the homeless, a school for children who have severe learning disabilities or who find it extremely difficult to function in mainstream schools; update buildings and bring back the highly specialized staff and expand the number of residents where they will get proper care (and not shuffled off to board and care places where staff may be limited and/or unskilled to meet the specific needs of these residents). The sanctity of this area would be enhanced by the inclusion of units for housing environmental and wildlife groups, people working hard caring for Mother Earth and all her creatures.

We cannot continue to close our eyes to people in need. You and I must do everything in our power to lift up the down-trodden, the sick, the poor.

When we protect our sacred places, care for those less fortunate than ourselves, society is elevated. It’s not too late to reverse the State’s decision to close SDC. You have a voice. Use it!

Kathy Aanestad, Sonoma