Service-learning rooted in goodwill Getting at the “root” of a client’s interests and needs—that’s the goal of occupational therapy, according to Kelly Frystak, assistant professor of occupational therapy at North Central College. And that was clearly the goal for a service-learning project designed to help a young woman garden independently at her home.
Wheaton resident Jenny Kray couldn’t interact with her ground-level garden and was relying on her father for most of the work. So North Central’s occupational therapy students designed and built a raised garden for her.
Members of North Central’s Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA), who are working toward their master’s degrees in occupational therapy, designed and built a raised, accessible garden for Wheaton, Ill., resident Jenny Kray. Her physical limitations didn’t allow her to garden independently in her own backyard. “I like having fresh herbs because I love to cook,” Kray explained. “Pasta, frittatas, chili–all types of foods.” In 2015, Kray was about to graduate while working toward a master’s in occupational therapy from St. Ambrose University when she experienced a brain hemorrhage. She went through two years of extensive therapy, eventually
1 4 NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE northcentralcollege.edu
