AOTF/Patterson Community Volunteerism Award

AOTF/Patterson Award for Community Volunteerism

Established in 2010

Purpose

To provide annually an award and honorarium (to be used to offset AOTA Annual Conference attendance) for an individual or group of occupational therapists and/or occupational therapy assistants who demonstrate commitment, excellence and/or innovation in providing community-based volunteer services using occupational therapy skills. The award is co-sponsored by The Patterson Foundation of St. Paul, Minnesota. The aim of this award is to encourage the provision of occupational therapy-based volunteerism in communities of need and in the process to further promote the recognition of the value of occupational therapy to the public-at-large. Up to five awards will be presented.

Eligibility

Candidates must be initially certified by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), formerly the American Occupational Therapy Certification Board.
Be a member in good standing of the American Occupational Therapy Association (for teams, one key member of the group must hold an AOTA membership).

Nomination Procedures

A nomination form must be completed by the candidate or a letter of nomination from a nominating individual (if the candidate is not self-nominating).

The nomination form or letter requires:

A brief summary of the project or program (a) including types of services, frequency and duration, and types and numbers of individuals served; (b) the program's volunteer staffing and its specific goals and objectives; (c) the program's overall accomplishments, including any barriers to progress encountered and strategies/steps taken to overcome them; and (d) the nominee's role in the programs and specific linkages that have been established with other programs because of this activity.
A description of 250 words or less (on the nomination form or as an attached page) detailing the benefit of the volunteerism to the individuals served and to furthering the understanding of occupational therapy in the community-at-large.

Two (2) letters of support (preferably from persons directly involved in the volunteer activity) are required. The letters should describe the value and benefit of the services provided to the community and/or the visibility or awareness the program has provided to improved understanding of occupational therapy.

Additional Materials Required by Awardees

Award recipients agree to provide:

A recent photograph of the candidate or candidate group, suitable for reproduction.
A short (not more than 100 words) description describing the volunteer program(s) that can be used for public dissemination.

Criteria for Selection

Relevance of the occupational therapy volunteerism to community need and the occupational therapy profession.
Benefit to the organization.
Benefit to the community of the occupational therapy volunteerism provided.
Benefit to the profession of the occupational therapy volunteerism provided.
Recognition of project by others, which may include recognition outside the field of occupational therapy.

Award Recipients

Award winners will be recognized through public announcements and invited to travel to the AOTA Annual Conference to receive their award. A $1,000 honorarium will be provided to recipients to defer Annual Conference expenses. The Award(s) will be presented during the AOTA/AOTF Awards Ceremony. For Awards involving groups, one honorarium and award certificate will be provided for the group. A lead contact may be designated to represent the group at the award ceremony.

Submission Instructions

Send five (5) complete copies of the nomination package (including letters) to the Chair of the AOTF Awards of Recognition Committee at PO Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220 (the physical mailing address is 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 202, Bethesda, MD 20814). Electronic submissions are encouraged and should be submitted to info@aotf.org with the subject line AOTF/Patterson Foundation Award.