The CCOF Internship Program

About Melinda Clark (Intern Coordinator)

Melinda is a Santa Cruz native but spent the last four years in Santa Barbara; she graduated from UCSB in the spring with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Psychology. Although she misses Isla Vista, especially the I.V. Food Co-op and all her co-operator friends, she's enjoying being back in beautiful Santa Cruz and recovering from college. When she's not at CCOF, she's working at Cabrillo Fitness, walking her temporary dogs on the beach, hanging out with her family and friends, bellydancing, and Zumba-ing as much as she possibly can.

Melinda Clark

About Paige Miller (Intern)

grow@ccof.org

Paige is a third year student at UCSC majoring in Environmental Studies and Community Studies. She is interested in environmental education, environmental justice, and sustainability. Paige is excited to be interning at CCOF to learn more about the organic movement, and to build her skills working with people and the environment. Paige loves going to the farmer's market, especially for organic strawberries and peaches.

Paige Miller

About Alexandra Fox (Intern)

alexandra@ccof.org

Alexandra is a senior at UCSC (Environmental Economics) who was born in San Francisco and grew up in Marin County. She is an avid jazz, food, music, art, veg, and green festival attendee.
She loves: farmers markets, organic food (duh!), tennis, beets, pop chips, fro-yo, hiking, coasters, candles, polar bears, Los Cabos, Maui, ginger ale, gum (addiction), giraffes, dogs (obsessed), canvas bags, vegetarian food, restaurants, shopbop.com, klean kanteens, reggae, steel pan/drums, pumpkin everything, OBAMA, Pellegrino, Planet Fresh, Thai Food, Scarves, the dead, boyfriend, her mom, San Francisco, sustainable business, The Office, Entourage, House, YOU

Alexandra Fox

About Adam Yader (Intern)

adam@ccof.org

Adam is a junior transfer student at UCSC majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics. He moved here recently from Rockville, MD, a suburb fifteen minutes outside Washington, D.C. “Hail to the Redskins, hail victory!” His interests include sports, cooking, gardening, live music, sustainability, and TV on DVDs. His favorite sports are tennis, basketball, football, and cycling. He loves his bicycle and his helmet, which has saved him many times from perilous doom. TV shows that he has seen every episode of: The Sopranos, Lost, Arrested Development, The Wire, Smurfs, X-Men, DragonBallZ, and Seinfeld. He thinks Mel Brooks’s movies and Monty Python movies are hilarious, and he also loves The Usual Suspects. Common conversation topics include politics, money, and ethics, and usually a combination of all three.

Adam Yader

About Lizi Barba (Intern)

lizi@ccof.org

Lizi drove out here from home in Chicago after graduating from boarding school in Massachusetts. When not helping out at CCOF she is on campus in class, shopping at the farmer’s market, frolicking in nature, or drinking diet coke. She’s a fiend for organic artichokes, garlic, and tomatoes. She happily and proudly supports the on-campus CSA and shops at the Food Bin when the farm won’t feed her. Most importantly, she’s into Mola Molas, Buddhas, Indian religious art, ocean conservation, environmental journalism, “Flight of the Conchords”, and her mini-garden on her apartment balcony!

Lizi Barba

About Alana Zimmer (Intern)

alana@ccof.org
Alana is a junior at UC Santa Cruz majoring in History of Art and Visual Culture. She has been active on campus with various environmental movements and organizations; over the past two years, she has been working to establish a program that utilizes unserved food in the dining halls to repurpose in meals for low-income and homeless individuals in the community. She loves photography, drawing, and graphic design, as well as crafting: sewing, needlework, making yarn poms, etc. She is an avid biker and loves crusing around the cruz on her road bike. She also loves hiking and the outdoors, cats (although recently, dogs have begun to grow on her), reading, swimming in the ocean, and cooking (especially pastries, cookies and cupcakes!!). And she loves organic foods!!!!

Alana Zimmer

CCOF Alumni Interns
Once a member of the CCOF family, always a member. We consider them a part of the CCOF Mycelium, hyphae. See some of our hyphae.

Volunteers
Volunteers will work closely with staff and interns to advance the mission, goals, and values of CCOF. Volunteers will also participate in organic farming practices and organic certification training.

Supporting Mentors
Supporting Mentors are professional sponsors to interns. Supporting Mentors will work alongside Project Interns to promote CCOF’s mission within each intern’s individualized project. Project Interns and Supporting Mentors will be matched based on personal interests and organizational goals; such that the mentor’s professional skill set will benefit the intern’s project and learning. Click here to learn about the Supporting Mentors.

Program Benefactor
Designed to give generous souls the opportunity to participate by making in-kind or financial donations. To learn more about becoming a Program Benefactor please visit this page.

Benefits

With the help and dedication of a few trained interns, CCOF staff will have more time to devote to advocacy and lobbying issues. Adding interns to the organization will provide smoother functioning overall and will lead to expansion of the organization in new ways, such as graphic design, international certification, and organic education for youth through individual intern projects.

The benefits of this program span many levels. At the individual level, interns will gain valuable experience working in the organic industry and developing job skills. At the organizational level, CCOF will benefit from projects relevant to its goals of advancing in the organic movement. At the community level, local communities will benefit from outreach programs and new availability of organic information and resources. On the whole, this program is a necessary step in transitioning to a healthier way of life with organics.

How to Apply

Apply ASAP! Interested persons can download a copy of the CCOF Intern Application. Questions should be directed to the intern coordinator: Melinda Clark (melinda@ccof.org). The Intern Hotline number is (831) 423-2263 ext. #25.

Calendar of Important Dates

Important Fall 2008 Program Dates

Sept. 1, 2008 Deadline for Fall Application
Sept. 26 Internship Start
Sept. 26 - 28, 2008 Training Session 1 & 2
Sept. 29 - 30, 2008 Training Session 3& 4