Harlan Temple, once again sponsored the annual South Dakota OT 5K which works with students at University of South Dakota and the South Dakota OT Association to raise money for the SD Harlan and Rita Temple Scholarship. With the help of Katy Foster, a SDOTA student representative from USD, who spearheaded this year’s 5K, they raised over $2,000 for the scholarship. She provided a summary of the event:

The Harlan and Rita Temple 5K is an annual race held to raise scholarship funds for occupational therapy students in South Dakota. 67 race participants ran, walked, or rode in the race, both in person and virtually, on the morning of September 18th, 2021 marked the 10th annual year of the race and was appropriately celebrated with the greatest turn out of participants, volunteers, and sponsorships. The race was organized and conducted with a mindset that was greatly influenced by the Pantone Colors of 2021. A combination of Illuminating, a bright yellow, and Ultimate Gray were used to design the T-shirts and become the underlying meaning behind the 10th annual race. According to Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, “The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit”. The majority of 2020 and still to this day, the world wide pandemic of Covid-19 has had serious implications for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This race was representative of much more than a race to raise scholarship funds, but rather an opportunity for social engagement and meaningful interactions. Top finishers were awarded with prizes that were donated from local sponsors, and every participant was invited to enjoy a post-race brunch consisting of a pancake breakfast and camaraderie with those who were in attendance. Each year, Harlan and Rita Temple have been consistent, generous supporters of USD’s occupational therapy program and are a vital component of the student’s success. 

Thank you for Harlan and Rita for all their support and thank you to all the students, OTs, and everyone who helped raise money for this special scholarship.

See all the scholarships available with the collaboration between AOTF and state OT associations and other ways you can support OT research.

Satvika Garg, PhD, OTR/L
Scientific Program Officer

Dr. Satvika Garg started as the Scientific Programs Officer at the AOTF in October, 2021. She is responsible for developing initiatives that build knowledge and research capacity for the science of occupational therapy, managing the scientific programs of the Foundation, and serving as the Foundation’s scientific affairs representative.

Prior to joining the AOTF, she served as an Occupational Therapist/Research Collaborator at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC from 2015-2021 and as an Adjunct Faculty/ Researcher/ Teaching Assistant at New York University, NY from 2009-2014. Dr. Garg obtained her PhD in occupational therapy from New York University (NYU), NY under the mentorship of Dr. Kristie Patten and received her MS in OT from Tufts University, MA. During her PhD, she received NYU Doctoral Fellowship, NYCT Fahs Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation Doctoral Dissertation Grant & NYU Steinhardt Doctoral Travel Awards. 

Dunsin Akinyemi, BS
Grants Administrator

Dunsin Akinyemi joined AOTF as the Grants Administrator in August of 2021. She is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the foundation's grants process and providing administrative and technical assistance and support. 

Before joining AOTF, Dunsin worked as an Administrative Assistant at the Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders. She also has a background in research. She was a scholar in the two-year NIH-funded ASCEND Biomedical Research Program and the 2019 BSOS SRI at the University of Maryland, College Park. She conducted research on various topics, including neurocognitive development in children, ischemia-reperfusion, and cardiovascular development and studied SSRIs such as fluoxetine. Dunsin graduated with honors from Morgan State University with a B.S. in Biology-Psychology in 2019. She is currently pursuing an MS-MPH dual degree in Health Informatics and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Temple University. She aspires to discover practical ways to analyze and skillfully communicate data and use information technology to improve health outcomes and learn the various strategies, policies, and interventions for different structural solutions to public health problems. 

Current Job Opening Available: Executive Assistant

Let's Build Evidence Together To Improve Practice & Health!

#GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people to transform their communities.

THANK YOU for your support of OT Research on #GivingTuesday! We raised $12,500!

• 4 states, Minnesota, Illinois, Arizona and Wisconsin, will receive an extra $500 for their 2022 State OT Scholarships thx to our sponsor EBS Healthcare/The Stepping Stones Group.
• We earned an extra $2,000 thanks to our sponsor Anthem Inc. who matched the first donations.
• The top 3 St. Catherine Challenge participating schools who received the most donations were Alvernia University, St. Catherine University and The Ohio State University.

As a standalone non-profit we couldn't build evidence without you!

Priority Funds for #GivingTuesday2021:

• Intervention Research Grants- This seed-funding fills a critical gap in early-stage OT research and helps OT researchers build proof of concept and publish initial findings.
• Dr. Gary Kielhofner Doctoral Student Scholarship- Honors the life and legacy of one of the most influential and transformational figures in occupational therapy by providing financial aid to an Occupational Therapist enrolled in a doctoral degree program.  
• Scholarships- Help future occupational therapists obtain their degree and lower the burden of student debt. AOTF has over 50 scholarships including two-dozen state specific scholarships.

Your GivingTuesday Gift can also be used to support your school in the St. Catherine Challenge! Just select the in dropdown and include your school’s name in the comment box.

Match Contests to Make Your Contribution Go Further Thanks to Our Sponsors:

• UNLOCK THE MATCH!
  Anthem Inc will match the first $1,000 raised with their own gift of $1,000 and then will match the second $1,000 raised with a second gift of $1,000. Please make a gift to help us unlock this matching gift!
• SCHOLARSHIP BOOST!
  Win $500 for the scholarship of your state! The 4 states with the greatest number of donors will receive an extra $500 for their 2022 scholarship thanks to EBS Healthcare/Stepping Stone Group.

The American Occupational Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Gifts to the AOTF are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.  Federal Tax I.D. # 136189382. View online giving privacy policy and state non-profit disclosures on our Support page.

Anthem is a leading health benefits company dedicated to improving lives and communities, and making healthcare simpler. Through its affiliated companies, Anthem serves more than 106 million people, including more than 42 million within its family of health plans. We aim to be the most innovative, valuable and inclusive partner. We do so by supporting all eligible people regardless of age, sex, race or disability. Our goal is to foster healthy, inclusive communities through addressing  drivers of health and reducing health disparities so  people have the opportunity to live their best   lives.  For more information, please visit www.antheminc.com  or follow @AnthemInc on Twitter

EBS Healthcare, now part of The Stepping Stone Group, is a premier national provider of therapeutic, behavioral autism, nursing and education services to children in school, home and community settings. Our mission is to make a difference, every day, in the lives with touch. As part of our commitment to quality care is a commitment to support the future of occupational therapy which is why we are proud to support OT scholarships with AOTF.

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