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Programs
Tavon Center is a unique program that connects people with disabilities to the community and nature through horticultural therapy
Work
At Tavon Center, we focus on developing individual skills that may be put to use in a workplace environment. We welcome recent high-school graduates along with other young adults who could benefit from continued structured vocational assistance. Through working in the gardens, caring for animals, practicing activities of daily living, and building interpersonal skills, participants in the Tavon Center program gain capability and confidence. Developing products and selling them at farmers’ markets and onsite activities are opportunities for building additional skills and connecting with the community.
Nature
The principles of horticultural therapy support the idea that working with plants and connecting with the earth provides valuable sensory stimulation, along with other benefits. The sensory garden at Tavon Center benefits everyone—from people with the most severe disabilities, for whom simple sensory stimulation can be a primary source of joy, to more functional individuals who can delight in the scents, smells, sounds, sights, and even tastes of the garden’s bounty. Garden and greenhouse work also provides a sense of capability and accomplishment, just as caring for animals gives a sense of responsibility and unconditional acceptance. Our commitment to organic gardening benefits the community as well.
Community
As Tavon Center program participants sell products at farmers’ markets and community members visit the site, the community will become more aware of the unique contributions of our friends and neighbors with disabilities, and our participants will begin to identify as part of a larger community. Bonding with peers and staff creates a circle of friends, an invaluable support system for our participants and their families. Daily stimulation and connections foster a healthy lifestyle and help sustain mental and physical health—not only of program participants, but also of their primary caregivers. Studies show that caregiver health is positively impacted when respite care is available and used. |
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Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there.
-Thomas Fuller
Gnomologia, 1732 |
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Contact UsPhone: 425.503.6481
Email: contactus@tavoncenter.org
Donate to Tavon Center:
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