October Newsletter

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October 2009 North District Newsletter
Our Purpose:
• to advance the profession
• to improve access to and awareness of occupational therapy services
• to contribute to the health, wellness, productivity and quality of life of those in our community

Community Awareness: Happenings in the North District
Congratulations to Sherry Kolodziejczak for receiving the Alabama OTR Award of Excellence for 2009. The award is given annually at Fall Conference for outstanding service in the field of occupational therapy and recognizes individuals who are involved in publications, community service, practice and teaching. Way to go Sherry!

We are fortunate to have a number or outstanding O.T.s in our district. Be thinking about who you want to nominate next year. See the ALOTA website for more details.

A Special Invitation to New Practitioners:
The AOTA Emerging Leaders Development Committee (ELDC) is announcing an exciting opportunity for new practitioners. The Emerging Leaders Development Program is designed for practitioners who are dedicated to the profession and want to serve. It provides leadership training and ongoing mentorship, and identifies service needs within AOTA and matches those opportunities with each participant's area of interest.

Candidates will receive formal face-to-face (2-day) training on leadership development and program components. Following this, candidates will participate in service learning and work with AOTA or state associations on projects or leadership roles to fill real needs. Candidate interest areas will be matched to current needs and opportunities. A formal mentored experience is included in the program and trainees are paired with individuals currently in a leadership positions in AOTA for a period of at least 1 year following the training. Participants will also be expected to share their experiences via AOTA publications or formal/informal presentations.

Who Should Apply? Candidates considered for this program may be OT or OTA students in their last year of their professional preparation or new practitioners with 5 years or fewer of experience. Candidates must also be current members of AOTA. This is a program for people who see themselves staying involved in AOTA leadership. Candidates must be able to commit to:
• attendance at a 2-day training session at AOTA in Bethesda, MD on January 8-9, 2010 (travel and per diem paid by AOTA);
• a formal mentorship/training period of 12 months; and
• an expectation of ongoing leadership service within AOTA for a period of time.

It is the ELDC's goal and hope that the leadership training and experience inspires individuals to continue service within AOTA throughout their careers. Applications should be electronically submitted to vstein@aota.org and be received no later than November 6, 2009.

Community Service: AMBUCS Comes to Huntsville
Huntsville has formed an AMBUCS chapter and meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month, except December at 6:00 pm in the community room of the ADRS building on Johnson Road in Huntsville.

AMBUCS Inc. is a non-profit service organization dedicated to creating mobility and independence for people with disabilities. Members fulfill our organization’s mission by:
• Performing various forms of community service
• Providing AmTryke® therapeutic tricycles to individuals who are unable to operate a traditional bike
• Awarding scholarships to therapists

Anyone interested is welcome to attend! For more information, contact Andrea Batt, PT, PCS, Secretary at: abatt@knology.net or andrea.batt.ambucs@gmail.com

Community Service: Project ACT (Accessible Computer Training)
Project ACT (Accessible Computer Training) is ready to help individuals in Alabama with disabilities develop basic computer skills. Before we begin designing the free trainings, we need to determine which computer skills individuals with disabilities are most interested in learning. Family members and professionals are encouraged to participate in the survey. Please follow the link below to complete the 5-minute survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Y ... H6OQ_3d_3d

To learn more about Project ACT, visit http://tasc.ataccess.org/ or contact Laura Parks at: lparks@ucphuntsville.org. Thank you for your help!

Continuing Education: Spring Conference
We are in the process of making plans for Spring Conference. Please give Valley McCurry - valley@uab.edu – feedback on topics you are interested in, location you desire, or if you are willing to be a speaker.

Positions Available: North District Co-Chair
Things have really taken off for Therapy Achievements, the company I own, and I am excited to report I continue to be wildly busy. I would love to have a co-chair for the North District. The time commitment is minimal and duties include help with attending the quarterly Board Meetings and coordinating the district meetings and newsletters. If you are interested in supporting our organization in this way, please contact me or our state president, Valley McCurry at: valley@uab.edu. Thank you!

Positions Available: Vice-president
We are currently looking for nominees for the position of vice-president of ALOTA. Primary responsibilities are conference planning and serving on the executive board. If you are interested, email Valley Osborne-McCurry, President at valley.mccurry@alota.org. We thank Jewell Dickson for all she has done over the past two years to serve in this position for our organization. She has done an excellent job and helped to make the conferences better each year.

Thanks!
Thank you for your support and involvement in ALOTA. By working together, we can accomplish our purpose. Good communication is a key to our success, and many O.T.s in our district do not receive our district newsletter. Ask your co-workers if they are on the mailing list. If not, they can send me an e-mail and I will be happy to put them on. Please feel free to contact me with any updates on happenings, job openings, or ideas for our district. Thanks!

Karen Allen Hislop
Therapy Achievements
karenstherapy@comcast.net
(256) 509-4398