Volunteering at CADAS

At Papercut Interactive, we get the privilege of volunteering our time each year. It’s included in our employment here, and we get to choose when and where we’d like to volunteer. It’s pretty cool and is honestly something I’m trying to take more advantage of. Last year, I volunteered at Ironman Chattanooga. It was a great experience, and I plan to do it again this September.

About a month ago, I was telling my friend Rebecca about this perk at Papercut. She thought it would be a great idea to volunteer at her place of employment, CADAS. So, last Friday, I took some volunteer hours and spent the day there!

CADAS is a nonprofit alcohol and drug treatment facility that offers a complete continuum of care. My friend, Rebecca, is the Director of the Adult Residential Program. This unit is where I spent the majority of the day. I got to job shadow Rebecca throughout the morning by attending meetings, and it was interesting to see how the facility gets the day started.

In the morning, the departments have meetings to assign the day with the counselors and clinicians. They go over any new clients, assign those, and look at the numbers for the unit. Then, the directors of the different departments have a quick meeting (which I respected – they each stand up and call it a “flash” meeting.”  I would definitely recommend implementing this style of meeting at every company.). During this meeting, they quickly go through big agenda items. What I loved about every meeting I attended is that each ended with an inspirational quote, such a good start to the day. It definitely reminded me of the reason why CADAS is there, and why these people work in that industry.

For the remainder of my day, I got to take part in small groups and actually see the residents go through their day. In the small group sessions, I was able to observe and interact with the residents. This was an eye-opening experience for me. Most of these residents have big battles to face from their past. It’s inspirational to see those that are taking the program seriously and trying to heal.

Overall, visiting CADAS was a great way to spend my volunteer hours. The staff welcomed me with open arms, and the residents seemed very open to sharing their stories with me. Thank you to the team for allowing me inside the facility for the day.

Below is a quote that I saw several times on the walls within the building. It inspires the patients at CADAS, and for me, it’s a fitting reminder of the day I spent there.