Shannon Morin made her first mission trip to Jamaica when she was a senior in high school. Now a staff therapist with Emory University Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation department, she returns to the Caribbean island every year.
“Jamaica is what led me to become an occupational therapist and where I found my calling to work with vulnerable children,” said Morin, MHS, OTR/L.
Morin’s youth group spent a week painting and working on building projects in orphanages sponsored by Mustard Seed Communities, a nonprofit organization that serves children and adults around the world who have been abandoned because of their disabilities.
“We worked during the day, but in our free time we played with the kids,” Morin said. “Neither the children nor the staff members have a lot in the way of material things, but they are so joyful. They can teach you a lot.”
Morin spent the next summer working as an intern with Angela Langer, a Canadian occupational therapist who spent three years in Jamaica. Langer implemented therapy programs and created workbooks to train staff in therapy techniques.
“When I got to work one-on-one with patients, the kids really inspired me. I loved working with them and helping them,” Morin said. “I just want them to have the best and fullest life that they can. That’s when I figured out I wanted to be an occupational therapist.”
Today, Morin volunteers with Therapy Missions, an organization with the goal of helping impoverished adults and children who have disabilities gain a better quality of life. Therapists take mission trips to Mexico, China, Honduras and to the Mustard Seed orphanages in Jamaica.
“There are only about a handful of therapists on the island and many of the children have cerebral palsy and other diseases. Some have developmental or sensory integration issues,” Morin said.
Lack of staffing and resources have been the primary barriers to providing therapy that would make a difference in these children’s lives. Most caregivers in the orphanages are licensed practical nurses and must focus on the most basic needs of feeding, dressing and caring for the children.
“Our philosophy is to treat patients while training the staff so that our work can continue when we’re not there,” Morin said.
Between missions, the organization trains Jamaican caregivers by using Skype.
Therapy Missions volunteers built a sensory room and taught caregivers proper positioning and stretching exercises for disabled children. They have held workshops on managing autism, made adaptive toys and suggested activities for daily play and stimulation.
While working with the children is rewarding, the lack of equipment can be frustrating.
“You have to be creative and figure out different ways to do things,” Morin said.
One of her greatest challenges was to find activities that all the kids could participate in, regardless of their level of function.
“Even though I work with a much broader population in the hospital at Emory, it seems less complicated because we have all things we need to provide therapy,” she said.
This year, however, Morin arrived in Jamaica with equipment and supplies, thanks to her co-workers at Emory University Hospital. The support came when Helene Gabai, a Level 3 clinician, was put in charge of educational opportunities and community service for the unit.
“I began asking therapists what they did outside of work in the community and learned about Morin’s upcoming mission trip,” said Gabai, OTD, OTR/L, BC-PR. “We’re a closeknit group and everyone wanted to plan a project that would support her work.”
Some of the therapists donated supplies that could be adapted for therapy, and the group held a bake sale to raise additional funds. They baked items and manned a table of goodies outside their unit in March.
“Shannon made a big poster telling people about the children in Jamaica and her mission trips there. We decided not to set prices, just to ask for donations, and people were very generous,” Gabai said. “Some gave $5 for a cookie; others just gave a donation and didn’t even take anything.”
The bake sale raised more than $750.
“We all felt really good about what we were doing, and loved it when Shannon came back and shared her stories,” Gabai said.
The money paid for materials to make sensory equipment, positioning devices, a swing, special chairs and mats with mobiles to encourage infants to move and reach out.
“I’ve seen some amazing progress over the years that I’ve gone to these orphanages,” Morin said. “The group Wheels for Humanity has donated new wheelchairs, and there are more daily therapy activities now.”
Morin is saving money so she can move to Jamaica in a few years and provide ongoing therapy training.
“This mission is so close to my heart,” she said. “It gives me such joy to be able to help them. The smiles and the laughter are the best part.”
