50 Years, 50 Stories - Anna Cliff

This week’s installment of “50 Years, 50 Stories” comes from Anna Cliff, who spent this past summer as an occupational therapy intern at Imagine!’s Dayspring department. Many of the stories that we have shared in this series have come from people with long associations with Imagine!, so I think this is a nice way to share a somewhat different perspective – the perspective of someone who is relatively new to the Imagine! community and is planning for a career in the field of serving children with developmental delays and disabilities.

Thanks, Anna!

Why I’ve Liked Working at Imagine!

By Anna Cliff

 

Anna Cliff

At the beginning of August I completed my summer internship with Dayspring. Although it was a bittersweet feeling to leave, I know that the experiences I have gained with the Dayspring staff are invaluable and will allow me to continue to provide quality care and occupational therapy intervention services to children and their families. During my experience, I helped young children with a variety of abilities and disabilities participate in everyday activities within their home and community environments. I have learned everything from creating built-up handles on a spoon, to helping a child with self-feeding, to singing songs while bouncing on a ball to help increase a child's strength and balance.

I was even able to partake in the unique opportunities offered by Dayspring such as Messy Play Day, in which I was covered in shaving cream and chalk! Each day I was able to work with talented therapists with varying expertise, but a common mission and goal: to provide educational and therapeutic interventions that meet the individualized needs and goals of children and their families. It has been a pleasure being a part of the Dayspring community, and it has provided me with an invaluable foundation for becoming an entry-level occupational therapist. This experience helped me to understand the role of early intervention and how to build strong relationships with children and families while getting messy at the same time!

Are you interested in sharing your story for “50 Years, 50 Stories?” If so, contact Caroline Siegfried at caroline@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6405. We’d love to hear from you!