The Afya Foundation’s Occupational Therapy program brings dedicated volunteers into the warehouse and simultaneously helps volunteers achieve their goals!
Get to know some of our volunteers.
Jimmy Kuang
Jimmy started as a volunteer with Afya during the summer of 2016. After his first day at the warehouse, Jimmy knew that Afya was his home. He immediately called his volunteer director to say, “I love it there and I want to stay.” After completing his volunteer hours, Jimmy wanted to get more experience and was hired as a Warehouse Assistant in January 2017. When he looks back on the day he was hired, Jimmy remembers being speechless and excited to officially be a part of the “Afya Family.”
Afya gave Jimmy a career and his work with Afya’s occupational therapy interns (OTs) has given him confidence. With his OTs, Jimmy’s reading and writing have improved greatly. He is now able to text loved ones, order groceries, and has started to read simple books all without relying on speech-to-text or audio functions. As a baseball card and lottery ticket fan, Jimmy struggled with saving money, but with the help of his OTs, he found ways to save money for both his hobbies and needs. Additionally, Jimmy and his OTs found ways to increase his self-esteem and decrease stress.
Luz Clarita Macias
Luz has been volunteering at the Afya Foundation for three years. Volunteering with Afya has given Luz the chance to meet new people and teach others how to sort and bag medical supplies that are shipped all over the world. The people at Afya have given Luz a great support system and Afya is a place where she feels comfortable to be herself. Working at Afya allows Luz to get out and help other people in need alongside some of her favorite people, like volunteer coordinator Mary Grace.
Luz also works with Afya’s occupational therapy students. Since working with the OTs, Luz has learned how to write a resume and started her own jewelry brand, Beautiful Lights. This has allowed her to share her passion for making jewelry with others, manage an Instagram for her business, and sell her products at this year’s Afya Carnival.
Volunteering at Afya helped Luz grow her support system, build her ability to lead and teach others, and improved her mental health. Afya will always hold a special place in Luz’s heart!
Kevin Kujawa
Kevin is very ambitious and he wants to live a meaningful life. Working at Afya gives Kevin purpose. As an autistic young adult who underwent several plastic surgeries to correct his cleft palate, he strives to help other kids in need.
Afya is helping Kevin achieve his dream job of becoming a clown doctor. He was unable to work with Healthy Humor under the Big Apple Circus, but this did not stop him. He is ready to go out on his own as “KK the Clown” to juggle for others.
Kevin researched Afya before meeting the staff and he fell in love with the idea of spreading “good health through giving.” Kevin loves working at Afya because he is surrounded by wonderful people who have a great purpose and who teach him something new every day.