Compassion Turns to Passion for Occupational Therapy Students

Students in the Occupational Therapy (OT) program, Salus at Drexel University, got a chance to turn compassion into action recently by participating in a service project as part of the annual American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Inspire conference April 3-5, 2025, in Philadelphia.  

The Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) chapters at Salus/Drexel, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, Gwynedd Mercy University and Elizabethtown College, joined forces to collect donations and supplies needed by three greater Philadelphia organizations — Project Home, ARTZ Philadelphia and Cradles to Crayons.  

At Salus/Drexel, students collected arts and crafts materials, hygiene items and gently worn clothing and shoes to support Cradles to Crayons. Supplies collected from each university were dropped off at the start of the Inspire conference and were organized and distributed by AOTA volunteers.  

“The purpose of the Cradles to Crayons donation drive is to provide homeless and low-income children essential items they need to thrive at home, at school and at play,” said Shannon Snyder ‘26MSOT, president of the SOTA chapter at Salus/Drexel. Caitlyn Foy, DOT, MOTR/L, CLA, director of the Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) program, is also the SOTA faculty advisor. 

The three-step model of Cradles to Crayons that brings its mission to life is:  

• New and nearly new children’s items are collected through grassroots community drives and corporate donations. 
• Donations are then processed and packaged by volunteers in our warehouse, The Giving Factory®. 
• Packages from The Giving Factory are distributed to local children — through a collaborative network of diverse service partners. 

Snyder said about 30 members of the Salus/Drexel SOTA chapter, along with other Salus/Drexel students from various programs, collected three large boxes worth of donations.  

Sharon Marcy, OTD ‘23, MS, OTR/L, assistant professor and Salus/Drexel faculty advisor for the Cradle to Crayons initiative, said participating in these type of service projects allows students to appreciate the significant impact they can make to their local community through simple efforts and how joining forces with other OT colleagues can amplify those positive outcomes.  

“As OTs we strive to help our clients gain independence in their everyday life activities,” said Dr. Marcy. “Supporting efforts of access to materials essential for home, work, education and play, like those donated to Cradles to Crayons, is a cornerstone of our clinical work.”