For my internship, I wanted to work at the Cedars of Marin, a place for adults with developmental disabilities. I grew up nearby the Cedar’s headquarters in San Anselmo, and even spent some time there caroling and doing some volunteer opportunities. I had heard of the Cedars Art and Textile center, through a family friend of mine who works in the garden there. I called their director and they were thrilled about having me and we immediately set up a time for me to come in.
I had never been to this particular site of Cedars before, so it was a bit unfamiliar. I walked through the front doors, and some of the clients who were weaving immediately stopped and started talking to me. I walked through the weavers station to the back of the building to meet with Connie (the director of the art and textile center). We chatted for a few minutes about SEA-DISC, what my goals are, my availability, and what I would like to be doing while I am at Cedars. Then, Jane Schwartz, a staff member at Cedars gave me a tour of the entire place. We met a ton of the clients and she showed me the animal center, the senior center, the arts and crafts rooms, the kitchen, the garden, the weavers center and many more wonderful parts of Cedars. Everyone was so friendly and excited that I was going to be working there. Jane and I talked about what clients I wanted to be working with while at Cedars, and she made some suggestions as to what she thought would be best for me. We decided that every Wednesday, I would work in the garden with the clients and in the classroom teaching them about healthy foods. Every Friday I would work in the Center for seniors with developmental disabilities, helping the clients with their social skills, and interacting with them as much as possible.
After my tour, I went back to the headquarters and Connie and I went over our paperwork that we needed to be filled out. We also talked about how whenever I come to Cedars I have to log in to their system. When I leave I have to log out so they have a record of how many hours I worked.
Overall, the interview went really well. I loved Cedars, and especially loved all the people that I met. I feel as though this is going to be a really positive experience for me, and I am really excited.
