Care Farm Volunteering
The Sanctuary helps people of all ages experience nature's power to heal by providing them with an opportunity to volunteer on a real working farm. Working with animals and gardening has been widely shown to lower blood pressure, ease depression and stress, and help lonely people establish therapeutic relationships.
Military veterans are especially welcome to volunteer at Sanctuary One. We regularly host groups of vets from the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics.
» more info about care farm volunteering
» research paper on care farming and public health benefits (PDF)
» 2nd research paper on care farming (PDF)
Educational Tours
The staff, interns, and volunteers at Sanctuary One love to meet people of all ages who are interested in learning more about care farming. Group tours for churches, retirement homes, social clubs, and the like are also welcome.
Please visit our Visit page for more information.
Service-learning Field Trips
Sanctuary One's education program promotes environmental literacy, which we define as an individual’s
understanding, skills and motivation to make responsible decisions that consider his or her relationships to nature, animals, the community, and future generations. » Oregon's environmental literacy plan (PDF)
Why do kids need environmental literacy? Studies show that time spent outdoors for learning during the school day is critical to the intellectual, emotional, and physical health of students and that providing students with quality opportunities to directly experience the natural world can improve students’ overall academic performance, self-esteem, personal responsibility, community involvement, personal health, and understanding of nature.
Students of all ages typically enjoy visiting our care farm for a day of service-learning.
We've partnered with several youth-serving organizations, including Ashland High School, Southern Oregon Child Study & Treatment Center, Project Dove (a program to reduce violence and bullying in schools), Lithia Springs Boys Program, Rogue Valley Family YMCA, Kids Unlimited, Children's Advocacy Center, The Rose Circle, Jackson County Mental Health Services, and many more.
» how to schedule a service-learning field trip
» letter of recommendation from local school teacher (PDF)
» 2nd letter of recommendation from local school teacher (PDF)
Community Service Site
The Sanctuary has teamed up with Mediation Works and Jackson County Community Justice to provide an alternative to the traditional juvenile corrections program. The program is tailored to suit the needs of each community partner and individual youth to ensure that safety comes first.
A young woman who recently completed her community service at the Sanctuary wrote:
"The first day I came here I didn't know what to expect and I thought I had better things to do. I was wrong! Hearing the stories you told me about the animals made me realize that this is where I needed to be. This pushed me to work my hardest and get out of bed in the morning. I'm happy that I chose to work here. Everything happens for a reason. I chose this place for a reason. I will never forget what memories I made here. I'm very lucky to have had this experience and to have met such amazing people."
Farm Internships
Sanctuary One is a member of two intern programs: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. We provide hands-on care farming and permaculture education, while the interns help us with routine chores, special projects, and hopefully teach us something, too. The Sanctuary has been selected for internships by people from as far away as Russia, Canada, Michigan, Florida, Boston, Hawaii, and New York.
» more internship info
Animal Sanctuary
Last but not least, the Sanctuary provides a safe, comfortable home to rescued farm animals and house pets. Our staff and volunteers can provide lifelong care to elderly, disabled, and chronically ill animals that are unlikely to ever be adopted.
We focus on intaking animals transferred to us from animal shelters and sanctuaries, rescue groups, and law-enforcement agencies who contact us for help. Although we would love to save every animal that needs a home, our resources are limited, so as a general rule we do not intake animals directly from private homes. (Please visit our Resources page if you need help rehoming a personal pet.)
Our goal at the Sanctuary is to provide animal care tailored to the specific needs of the individual. Like people, animals are vulnerable to chronic stress and other trauma-related issues. Science and sensibility both agree that humans and other animals enjoy and require the same types of things to maintain health and happiness: high quality medical care, nutritious diets, opportunities for socializing, freedom of choice, freedom from fear, and a relaxing and loving environment.
» meet the animals
