Bids still being accepted for annual “Rent an OT” student fundraiser

Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) members at UND are seeking to raise funds for the St. Catherine Challenge. The St. Catherine Challenge is a national student-led initiative to build the profession of occupational therapy through raising funds for research in support of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s mission.

Schools of occupational therapy across the nation take on the challenge, create their own fundraisers, engage their communities in the effort, and come together at the annual American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) conference to cheer the cause. Donations are used exclusively to fund and promote research in occupational therapy, and thus advance the science of everyday living.

As charter members of the St. Catherine Challenge, UND’s Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) is eager to engage in fundraising for this challenge. As such, SOTA will hold a silent auction to “auction” off our fellow SOTA members to faculty, staff, or students within the SMHS who could use assistance with a task. Occupational therapy students interested in offering their time and skills will be “rented” by the winning bidders for up to four hours. Winning bidders will be allowed to utilize student volunteers on behalf of other individuals they know who may be in need of assistance (e.g., a friend needing help moving or a parent requiring cleaning help). Following the auction, the students will contact the highest bidders to establish details regarding the time and place of service.

Services that students may provide include cleaning, raking leaves, shoveling snow, babysitting, supervising children at a birthday party, painting, moving, designing, organizing, and much more. However, there are restrictions to the nature of services that can be provided: no transportation of people, no power tools, no activities involving fire or explosives, and no activities involving heights or tasks that place one in danger. Any SOTA participant can decline particular activities requested of him or her if he or she does not feel comfortable completing the task requested. OT students will complete the work in pairs.

Bids can be submitted to Sara Anderson via email to sara.a.anderson@und.edu. Bids must include your name, the task in question, and the amount of money you will donate for this service. We will take the highest bids and match student pairs to each bid (up to the number of students who have volunteered for this event). For example, if 20 students volunteer, they would be put into groups of two; therefore, we would accept and notify the 10 highest bidders. Work is to be completed between Oct. 15 and Nov. 11. Work must be completed within 15 miles of Grand Forks.

If you have any questions, please email Sara Anderson at sara.a.anderson@und.edu or Cherie Graves at cherie.graves@und.edu.