Cedars of Marin is a day program and residential care facility for adults with developmental disabilities, but it is really so very much more. 

Cedars has been in Marin for 91 years. One resident, still there today, has been at Cedars for 75 years. On the San Anselmo-Ross border, there are residence, a day campus and office facility that is rented from the Theological Seminary, along with ten housing locations and a 26-acre ranch. And something is happening all the time at every one of these places.

Chuck Green was hired two years ago as the Interim Director for a one-year stint, but the job has proven to be so rewarding and “there is still a lot more I can do,” Green said. So much that Green has no intention of leaving the position any time soon.

“It’s unusual, in a way it’s like the Disney saying ‘It’s the happiest place on earth,’” said Green. Every day upon walking in the doors he is engulfed with hugs and no less than five clients tell him that they love him. Needless to say, it is a pretty friendly work environment.

There are 84 clients at present, and about 70 utilize the facilities at the ranch every day. Weavers weave absolutely beautiful and perfect pieces that, though sold as napkins, table mats, runners, blankets, tea towels, scarves and rag rugs, are really works of art. Gardeners garden in the idyllic setting nestled in between the Mt. Tamalpias Cemetery and the Red Hill fields. And artists create with paint, natural fibers and more. The incredible works of art and weaved goods are sold at The Artist Within in downtown San Anselmo, a shop that recently went through an amazing transformation.

What was once a grandmotherly-looking craft shop has, through the pure help of volunteers dedication and clients hard work, been reborn into a modern and sleek store worthy of its high fashion neighbors. It was almost lost entirely before the switch, but Green worked his magic and the store was saved.

Art is an integral part of the program and is encouraged in every client. A recent exhibit turned into a sold-out show with every piece being purchased. Professionally framed works of art are proudly shared and displayed throughout the various facilities. The next public exhibit will be at Marin MOCA in Novato.

On one tour through the campus, one of the weavers was working with alpaca yarn that was sent in from Peru. The material couldn’t be weaved in Peru, but it could be weaved here in Marin. The scarves will be shipped back to Peru to be sold and the profits will be shared between the two businesses. 

Situations like this can be found throughout the entire Cedars program. The community is a huge part of client’s lives and intertwined in many ways. 

Not all the clients are weavers or artists. Some of the adult are gardeners, who, when they aren’t working around the ranch, in the garden plots, in the greenhouse or getting ready for the Ross Farmers Market, meet at the ranch and travel to private residences to work in gardens. 

The garden is mostly at rest for the winter, but even dormant the life in the enclosed area was rich and full. Winter lettuce beds, compost piles, artichoke rows, tilled plots and starters in the new greenhouse were evident at every turn.  Willow barriers encircled every bed beautifully and hand-painted signs announcing every plant, though not up during the rainy season, were stored safely in the greenhouse.

Worm beds were hard at work and available for sale, rosemary starters were growing quickly and would be ready for the market in the spring. Another plan for the rosemary is for it to be planted in preparation for the bee colony that would be arriving when the weather warms up. Bees and citrus trees are the newest projects underway.

Across from the knoll where the bees will eventually land is the break room where clients were busy in the kitchen making pizzas topped with zucchini from the garden. Outside of the kitchen, others gathered to fill mugs with coffee for the mid-morning meal break. The large building also had artists finishing up projects big and small in other rooms. 

At a recent annual fundraiser “Fund-A-Need” was so successful that the goal of purchasing three alpacas ended up leading to the purchase of a clean dozen. Up the hill from the break room, the alpacas were happily chewing food and relaxing in the fenced-in area atop another knoll. Sheep were sheltered in another section behind the alpacas and, though not seen, angora rabbits were tucked away in another area. Add to this the cotton that is grown in the summer and the silk worms, whose silk is harvested in the warm season when the mulberry bushes are in bloom, and the Cedars Ranch is a textile mecca.

Clients and staff aren’t the only ones able to join in all the wonder. When school-aged children come to the ranch for tours, the clients become the teachers and mentors. In fact, the Marin Country Day School students has a program that sends nearly a dozen students come to the ranch to volunteer and learn throughout the school year.

A large focus of both the state and federal government is that challenged adults are able to live independently; and, as important as it is to encourage that, everyone needs community. Clients at the Cedars find both in a positive and happy life about giving back, gaining friends, maintaining a healthy body and allowing the mind to express its creativity.