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.

As a student in the School of Health Sciences, new doors are continually being opened for me into varying fields of healthcare that I never considered before. All students in the Intro to Health Science II course are required to participate in a semester-long Service Learning project within the realm of the healthcare spectrum. Originally, my group planned to volunteer with a hospice service visiting with patients in the final phase of a terminal illness. However, halfway through the semester (after completing an extensive application process, interview and background check), we were informed that there simply would not be enough time remaining in the semester to properly train our group members and still have time to volunteer with patients. At first, our group was devastated and unsure of how to handle the situation. We soon learned though, that a new door was about to open for us.

            A friend of one of my group members suggested that we contact the ARC of Atlantic County, and the volunteer coordinator graciously accepted us into the volunteer program. The ARC of Atlantic County is part of a national organization that provides services for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families. Our first experience with members of the ARC came during their Friday Night Teen program. That night, we spent a few hours with a handful of teens with disabilities that come to the ARC simply to hang out on their Friday nights. Between countless games of Jenga, Apples to Apples, and Uno, the hours actually flew by. For me personally, the most exciting part of the night came when I had the opportunity to assist some of the teens in cooking grilled cheese sandwiches and muffins.

         I have known for a while now that I want to be an occupational therapist, but my experience at the ARC only confirmed that belief. Occupational therapists help people of varying ages and ability levels participate in the daily activities, or occupations, that they would like to learn how to accomplish.  While some of the patients I will be working with in future could be recovering from an accident and simply need to re-learn how to complete certain tasks, many of my patients will be people with cognitive disabilities who need to learn for the first time. There was something so rewarding about being able to show the teens at the ARC how to butter the bread for grilled cheese or measure out the right amount of sugar for the muffins because I did not just complete the task for them. I taught them how to do it for themselves, which is so much more valuable in the long run.  There is an old proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Friday, I was able to give individuals the tools that could bring them one step closer to independence.

This is my third blog from the fall semester. I had been having difficulty with WordPress at the time, so it was never posted:

There are various forms of artistry in this world, from a painting hanging on display for all to see, to the graffiti on the underside of a bridge around the corner from the museum. Regardless of the medium, both beauty and genius can be found in a variety of settings with the assistance of an open mind and an appreciation for the cultural differences that make each style unique. Recently, I had the opportunity to experience a whole new art form- story telling through ballet.

            A few weeks ago, my roommate and I went to see the Atlantic City Ballet’s production of Dracula in Stockton’s Performing Arts Center.  Though we both took dance lessons when we were younger, neither of us had ever been to a formal ballet before. Upon entering the theater that evening, we were both excited for the experience and prepared to be captivated by the show. The dancers in the production came from countries as far as Australia and cities as near as Philadelphia, while their resumes ranged from seasoned veterans to novices in the touring circuit.  We were immediately mesmerized by the grace of the performers, as we ourselves lacked the poise to even attempt what they had managed to accomplish throughout the years. To simply witness such a production was inspiring in itself.

Though the show was beautiful to watch, understanding the piece was far more difficult than we had previously expected. For two people with no prior knowledge of the play and little experience in ballet, the task of interpreting the plot was much more challenging than anticipated. We constantly found ourselves turning to each other in attempts to clarify what exactly we were watching transpire, and we sincerely wished for subtitles to magically appear in front of our eyes. Eventually, we gave up on the effort to decipher the plot and simply let ourselves enjoy the show. Once we managed to sit back and watch the piece transpire in front of us, we found the production even more enjoyable. Through we did not know every detail, we slowly began to catch on to subtle nuances and piece the storyline together for ourselves.  By acting as if we were looking through the lenses of more experienced audience members, we were able to enjoy the ballet as an art form, and remember the experience as a truly enchanting evening.