There are a variety of programs offered through the ARC of Atlantic County, and I had the opportunity to volunteer for two of them this past weekend. On Saturdays, the ARC holds a six-hour Children’s Respite program, where parents can drop off their child with assurance that he or she in being supervised and engaged while they go grocery shopping or accomplish other tasks. I had been warned that this program would be very different from the relaxed environment of the Friday Night Teen program I had previously visited, but I don’t think I was prepared for just how different of an experience it would be.
The Friday Night Teen program consisted of a group of six teenagers with disabilities, two staff members and two volunteers. The energy of the small group was enjoyable, and I had the opportunity to get to know each of the teens on a more personal level. The Saturday Children’s Respite program, however, was a much different story. There were closer to twenty children and teens participating in the program, and each was assigned to a specific staff member. With over triple the amount of people in the room, the energy was far from laid back. I quickly learned that it took a keen eye and a lot of patience to properly supervise this group and provide them with the entertainment and engagement necessary to captivate their attention.
The structure of the program kept me on my feet and kept the pace of the day moving quickly. Scheduled activities included an opening and closing circle, painting, collage making, coloring, cooking and even a nature walk. One of the things that surprised me most about my experience was the varying ability level of the children and teens that attended the program. While some were capable of engaging in in-depth conversation about their personal lives, others couldn’t speak at all. The experience opened my eyes to the wide range of patients I could potentially work with one day as an occupational therapist. Initially, I was apprehensive about volunteering because a part of me was worried I would hate it and would come to doubt my career choice. Thankfully, I was pleased to realize after leaving the ARC on Saturday that I was even more enthused about the prospect of working with individuals with disabilities one day than I previously thought. I will definitely be returning to the ARC in the following weeks to spend more time with the wonderful people I met and the several new friendships I have formed.