For the second year, OTA students in the Student Occupational Therapy Assistant (SOTA) Club at 91²Ö¿â East Liverpool celebrated “April is OT Month†with a community project to serve the House of Grace, a ministry of Grace City Church in East Liverpool.
During April, the students led a donation drive on campus to collect much-needed items for the facility, including men’s shirts and jeans. Each student also donated 10 canned goods, a four-pack of toilet tissue and two dozen baked brownies.
On April 19, the students spent the day assisting visitors in the clothing rooms and food pantry; preparing and serving lunch; and socializing with those who were seeking help.
Kathy Swoboda, academic program director of the OTA program at 91²Ö¿â East Liverpool, explained that the students are enrolled in the “Occupational Performance in Mental Health†class, which teaches them how to serve the underserved in communities.
“This is such a heartwarming and eye-opening experience for the students,†she said. “I am thrilled that they want to continue reaching out to the community in this way.â€
The House of Grace was initiated by Pastors Jeff and Lisa Smith. It is open five days a week to provide food, clothing and meals to those in need.
Cutline A: Pictured with some of their collections are (from left) Sarah Mondak, Abbey Eye, Nicole Grimm, Brianna Spirk, Jessica Schnieder and Hannah Bowers.
Cutline B: OTA students with volunteers from the House of Grace and Pastor Lisa Smith (center).