California of the Past
Sacramento Stories
Sample Interview Questions These ideas are provided to provoke your thoughts. Please feel free to be as creative as you like.
Sample Script and Visuals from Sacramento Has Gone to the Dogs
Complete Digital Story from Sacramento Has Gone to the Dogs
Some interview questions you can ask during your recording session:
- for an interview with a Friend, Family Relation, or Older Community Member
- What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?
- How has your life been different from what you imagined?
- As friends, where will we be in 20 years?
- What is your first memory of me?
- Grandma, what was my mom like when she was a child?
- What traditions did you observe as a child that we no longer observe?
- for an interview about a Place
- How did you first encounter this place?
- What usually occurs at this location?
- Why and how does this place have particular meaning for you?
- Was there a defining experience for you, your family or your community at this place?
- What understandings about yourself and others do you have because of this place?
- for an interview about an Event or an Experience
- What event or experience is your story about? When and where did it occur?
- Was there a defining moment for you?
- What was your reaction to the event? How was the community affected?
- What thoughts arise when you think about this event?
- How did it change your life?
Your coordinator will help you establish questions or an outline, as necessary. Here is an example of a script from:
Sacramento Has Gone to the Dogs by Nancy Sawhney
(This script is approximately 500 words and is sufficient for the 3-5 minute story limit.)
Fifteen years ago my husband Ramesh and I moved from San Diego to Sacramento, where he took a job with Mercy Hospital. No longer employed myself, and physically slowed down by a neuromuscular disease that limits the use of my leg and arm, I looked for ways to keep busy in my new environment.
I quickly found my niche as a volunteer with Sacramento Public Library and met new friends, but time hung heavy and I found that even the sidewalks of Sacramento were an increasing challenge for my wheelchair pace.
Suddenly, in 1995, my life changed in a wonderful way. After three-and-a-half years on their waiting list, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), based in Santa Rosa, CA, called to invite me to attend a two-week training course to become matched with a highly trained service dog that could pull me in my wheelchair, pick up things I dropped and otherwise make my life easier.
How my life has changed since then! I’m now a multi-time graduate of CCI’s remarkable program, currently paired with Becky IV, a small black Labrador/golden retriever cross. My previous service dog, Union II, now fourteen and retired, enjoys her status as Ramesh’s and my pet dog. Life is very good, indeed.
It was with Union at my side that I discovered just how much Canine Companions for Independence had given me. Union assisted me in countless ways by reducing the fatigue that goes with physical disability and putting a smile on my face. She’d retrieve my aluminum forearm crutches, pick up a dropped credit card, banana or coin, and she served as an ice breaker among strangers, inviting conversations and eliciting smiles from others. I no longer felt lonely or alone.
My current service dog, Becky, now fourteen years old, has taken over from Union, opening the refrigerator door upon command and pulling me in my wheelchair through malls, airport terminals and such. Sacramento’s flat sidewalks are no longer a challenge, with Becky happily pulling alongside my lightweight chair.
As if all that weren’t enough, I’ve met and found lasting friendships among dozens of CCI puppy raisers who live in the Greater Sacramento Area. What good hearts those volunteer puppy raisers (and breed caretakers) have. They love and care for their pups, teach them basic good-dog behavior – and then tearfully return those 18-month old dogs to CCI for advanced training. The only way I can really thank the puppy raisers of my own service dogs is to assure them, “You haven’t lost a puppy – you’ve just gained more family.”
I currently sit on CCI’s national board and help steer this wonderful nonprofit organization into the future. I also address civic and social groups to spread the word about CCI’s cause. By talking about my own disability and demonstrating Becky’s skills, I work to educate others. Some of my favorite audiences include Sacramento City Triple R groups, public schools and public library gatherings. Ramesh is now retired and we often marvel at how full and happy our lives are, surrounded by friends and caring canines.
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