It began small. Dusty was volunteering at the local Head Start program in San Rafael in Marin County, entertaining children with her hand puppets. Then her roommate went to the local YMCA to tell them about her talent, and after a tryout, they eagerly hired her to perform in their Day Care Center. She loved the work and began to think about turning her passion into a business. D 3 Associates, a consulting firm specializing in bringing first-hand experience in leading service provision techniques, organizational development, and shifting corporate culture to Service Providers for people with developmental disabilities, worked with her and Casa Allegra Community Services (a CAMEO member in Marin County) to develop a feasibility study and a business plan, and formalized her business with the name Dusty’s Puppets. Next she began entertaining at farmers’ markets for tips, which has become a consistent source of income. Continuing with her work at the YMCA, she began doing birthday parties and public community events under contracts. In fact, she has become so successful that she was able to hire a bookkeeper for her business. With the continued help of Casa Allegra (CACS), Dusty has also become a puppet distributor and sells the types of puppets she used to entertain children, providing multiple streams of income. If you attended the December sales event hosted by the Renaissance Center, you saw her there – it was one of her biggest sales days of the year! Check out her website: http://www.DustysPuppets.com.

Over time her business model has become so popular that she is often asked to take speaking engagements (for fees!), and has traveled all over the state to do so. In 2007 she performed at 151 children’s entertainment events, held 27 sales events, and gave 9 large presentations. And, thanks to the help of Casa Allegra, not only was her business growing, she began to realize profits during her second year in business – one year ahead of schedule on her business plan!

Dusty’s business has not only given her the rewards of giving back to the community by continuing to volunteer at Head Start and other community centers, she has been able to establish a measure of financial and personal independence. As a person with Down Syndrome, she and the microenterprise development and support program that assisted her are a model to the field because they illustrate that anyone can be a successful business owner with targeted assistance.

Program Highlight

The D 3 team has over 30 years experience as parents and consumers interfacing with California's educational and developmental disabilities service systems. D 3 provides consulting services to Casa Allegra Community Services (CACS) in Marin County, which has built on the experience of helping Dusty start her successful business by launching a new program called Project IOU (Income Opportunities Unlimited – Financial Freedom!) out of a grant it recently received from Golden Gate Regional Center.

Operating within their day programs, staff help individuals plan activities that not only satisfy their interests and passions, but make money as well. The new program assists people in obtaining necessary licenses, bank accounts, managing social security benefits, and other business requirements. Early activities include the creation of 3 vending machine businesses and a consumer owned and operated cooperative (Keep Marin Green) that will assume and expand a local e/recycling program.

CACS supports people with developmental disabilities to achieve their dreams through community living, employment and educational opportunities. CACS believes that all people are entitled to self-determination and to live their lives with dignity as self-reliant and productive citizens. Their services are funded by the California Department of Developmental Disability Services (CA DDS), through the local Golden Gate Regional Center in San Francisco.

For more information on providing microenterprise development services to individuals with developmental disabilities, please call Dale Dutton at 415-461-7218, or email him at DuttonCube@aol.com. You may also reach Chris Bonfiligo, ED at CACS, at 415-499-1116, x.266.