When Cassie heard about coming to A Taste of Paradise Farm one morning a week, she didn’t know what to expect. She was very quiet and anxious about making another change in her life as she had been moved around many times into different care situations. Initially the care worker stayed with her, gradually giving her and the mentor more and more space as Cassie grew more familiar with the mentor and the farm.
After the first month she was happy to stay by herself and began initiating conversations with her mentor. She found the open spaces freeing after the confines of the group home and school and appreciated the routine of regular weekly visits. Her anxiety diminished and her confidence grew as she loved talking about the activities on the farm. Her teachers remarked on her “coming out of her shell” and seeming happier.
Cassie developed a special relationship with the goats on the farm and loved nothing more than helping to round up the ones ready to give birth, checking on them and feeding them every time she came to the farm. Cassie was so excited when the baby goats were born and she was allowed to hold one. Now Cassie had something special in her life and her mentor also introduced Cassie to art therapy, using goats as the subject.
Cassie loved her time at A Taste of Paradise. Her mentor talked through ways to approach what life throws at us and gave her the confidence to see other changes in her life as opportunities rather than difficulties.
