The Board of Trustees created a new standing committee, Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) to develop, direct, and evaluate AOTF initiatives to promote diversity & belonging, combat racism, heal trauma, achieve equity, and social justice. In addition, we want to identify and address any barriers in our community to full inclusion and learn more from our stakeholders about experiences that could inform us about how to do better and promote the kinds of reflections and insights that fuel change. While some of these actions build on existing initiatives within AOTF, others represent new steps that the Foundation will be enacting in direct response to recent events. Read full action plan.

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 Emily Heumiller, a SDOTA student representative from USD, who spearheaded this year’s 5K, they raised over $1,300 for the scholarship.

“Due to Covid-19, our 5K was held virtually this year over a 3-day period, it could be run on any of the days, anytime, and any place. There were 51participants from several different states. Each participant received a t-shirt with our name, logo, and names of each sponsor on the back. There were also prizes given to the top runners that were able keep their time in the program app and of course using the honor system. Most people weren't interested in keeping their time, they just wanted enjoy and participate! Emily and I did it on Sunday afternoon on the Sioux Falls bike trail and actually did two 5K's in one, 6.3 miles in 2.45 hrs. Pretty much taking our time and enjoying it.”

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

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

“Building Evidence Together To Improve Practice & Health"
Even when we have to be physically apart we can be philanthropically together.

Thank You to All our Donors Who Made GivingTuesday A Success! 

AOTF is so grateful to the dozens of donors who made OT Research and OT Scholarships a priority for their philanthropy.

• Almost $10,000 was raised to support Intervention Research Grants, OT Scholarships and the Kielhofner Doctoral Scholarship.
• Illinois, New York, Florida and Ohio will have an extra $500 added to their state’s 2021 scholarships.
• There is still time to make a gift before the end of the year. Support your alma mater in the St. Catherine’s Challenge, use AmazonSmile to make AOTF your charity of choice or visit our Support page to help build new evidence for occupational therapy.  

We believe that occupational therapists should have the best and most current evidence available so they can deliver the highest quality care to their clients. Will you join us to build new evidence in occupational therapy? Every day the demand for evidence is rising and AOTF is leading the effort to meet this demand. More evidence means better quality of care, reduced costs, and increase efficacy. In addition to the dozens of specialty areas in which OTs work there is now a need for OT to build evidence for COVID-19, address social injustices and support underserved populations so they can receive equitable and accessible health care services . The only way AOTF can make investments into new OT research and the future OT workforce is with your philanthropic support. Please make a gift to help us fund essential grants, scholarships and research programs.

Priority Funds for 2020-2021:

• 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.  
• Nedra Gillette Research Fellowship- Honors the first Director of Research at AOTF who was instrumental raising awareness of the need for evidence-based practice. This 1-year award supports an OT postdoctoral fellow engaged in cross-cultural research into the human condition as it is influenced by health, participation in valued roles, and social justice. 
• Scholarships- Help future occupational therapists obtain their degree and lower the burden of student debt. AOTF has over 55 scholarships including two-dozen state specific scholarships.

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

• Unlock the Match- Once $2,000 has been donated to AOTF, Anthem, Inc will make a gift of $1,000 to support new OT research.
• 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 2021 scholarship thanks to EBS Healthcare.
• Share Your Support- Share your support of AOTF on social media, such as an #Unselfie, and the 2 donors with the most likes will have their gifts matched by Anthem Inc. Double your gift and celebrate your passion for OT. Be sure to use @AOTFoundation, #OTResearch, and #GivingTuesday (#AOTFSCC if St. Catherine Challenge contribution).
• First and Foremost- The first donor to make a gift of $500 and the first donor to make a gift of $250 will have their gifts matched by Anthem, Inc.

Thank You Contest Sponsors:

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

EBS is a unique company that began as a non-profit organization founded by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and special education directors more than 30 years ago. We are dedicated to empowering clinicians to become leaders in their fields, while providing the highest-quality pediatric services for families and communities around the world.  We are proud to support AOTF because we share a common mission, develop new, evidence-based interventions and empower therapists to deliver the highest quality care. For more information, please visit https://www.ebshealthcare.com/

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