The Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center (RKSTC) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is hosting its 7th-annual Art Show and Auction online Friday, August 25 – Sunday, August 27. Proceeds from this event benefit the pediatric pro-bono occupational therapy clinic at UTHSC in helping the uninsured and underinsured in the Mid-South.
More than 110 pieces of art will be auctioned. The artwork is donated by children receiving occupational therapy services and by local artists. Some of the art available for purchase will be featured at the ribbon cutting and open house for RKSTC’s new expanded clinic space in the 920 Madison Building on the Memphis campus, Room 526, Thursday, August 24, at 2 p.m.
Auction participants will be able to bid on pieces of art through the RKSTC Art Show and Auction website. Bidding begins Friday, August 25, at 8 a.m., and closes Sunday, August 27, at 5 p.m.
The works at the RKSTC Art Show and Auction were donated by children receiving occupational therapy services and by local artists.
Bri Morgan, an OT student and the event organizer, said her passion for helping adults and children pushes her to lend a helping hand to those in need.
“I have always had a passion for working with children,” Morgan said. “Seeing that UTHSC’s occupational therapy program had their own pediatric pro-bono clinic just made me want to be here that much more. The annual art show is the main fundraiser for the Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center. We hold this place near and dear to our hearts.”
Last year, the art show and sale raised $5,299. The funds have resulted in more resources for the clinic and more patients receiving occupational therapy. The clinic is staffed by OT students with faculty supervision.
Morgan said, since she started at the clinic, the number of patients has increased each year.
“We have gone from no clients to a waiting list. We have teamed up with so many different organizations in the community and given kids the opportunity to receive OT services. This is when families may have thought that was never an option for them,” she said. “We’ve received such positive feedback from our RKSTC families. I have been able to see so much growth in our patients through the hands-on work I have been able to do.”
The art show and auction has raised over $20,000 toward occupational therapy services for children since its inception. The RKSTC has served more than 500 children, trained over 240 OT students and over 225 teachers, and worked with more than 250 parents.