My experiece at Bittersweet Farms

Dan Everett (left) and Anne Foltz work in the barn getting Cheyene prepared for her walk.

    

Matt Pierson stops to smile with Cheyene in the barn.

When we first got to Bittersweet Farms we were met by one of the residents, he was happy to see us there and wanted to take us to the barn where he works.This residents name was Dan Everett, he is one of the people that Bittersweet Farms aims to help. 

We were then greeted by Shannon Dane, in listening to her talk it's not only apparent that she does pretty much everything that needs to be done at Bittersweet Farms, but she loves doing it. What I need to now tell you is that this is a place where people with autism can go to work, to help and to just be around other people who understand them. 

Autism is something that people struggle to understand because it doesn't really make sense to them. I have worked with children with autism and the first thing I learned is that every person is different. The main thing I learned is that they all need structure, routine and understanding. Autism isn't something that you can look up in a dictionary and just say ok that makes sense, it is something that is more misunderstood than it is understood. 

Old Man takes a nap with his friend.

Bittersweet Farms is a place that people with autism come to work and socialize. They can work in the barns helping with animals, they can do crafts which are sold in the store on the farm, there is woodworking shop along with the basic up keep of the farm; this place gives people with autism the ability to lead a full functioning life regardless of where they are on the spectrum. 

As our day went on we got to meet more of the residents, they showed us what they did at the farm or even what they were working on at that moment. They told us about the animals and how much they loved being around them. In working with special needs I learned that animals can be special to people with autism because animals love you no matter what and they seem to just understand. They have a calming persona to them that people can just feed off of. I watched the smiles appear on a couple of the residents faces when they told us about Old Man. Old Man is a big furry black cat who just loves to be in the middle of the group, he also loves to take naps with his friends.

This place is amazing, the people are wonderful and the environment is perfect for people with autism. It helps them be a part of something that they more than likely wouldn't be based on the struggles related to their autism. Bittersweet farms helps these people reach their full potential, the potential that would have been limited had they been sent somewhere else. This is the kind of place that we need more of so the fact that they are trying to cut their funding in mind boggling.

 The residents make Christmas ornaments that will be sold in the store at Bittersweet Farms.

Charlie Adkins shows a flower that was made in the Helping Hands Nature House. 

Charlie Adkins shows a flower that was made in the Helping Hands Nature House - See more at: http://owensoutlook.com/3019/whats-new/down-on-the-farm-ornery-bittersweet-farm-participants-remain-strong-despite-threats-in-funding/#sthash.sWF6hjlQ.XXYAJaQa.dpuf

Residents showed us the ornaments they made with the items they collected around the farm.

 One of the goats pokes their head out to see what is going on in the barn.

 The chalkboard in the barn lists duties, says hello and has words of encouragement for residents.

Shannon Dane was our guide to Bittersweet Farms.