Message from Sharon Sanderson, OT (OK Alternate Delegate to RNC)

I enjoyed meeting with Amy, Penny, and Tim in St. Paul. It was great to see AOTA having such a visible presence at political gatherings.

I have only been real active in national politics for the past three years, when we moved to a small rural county in Oklahoma. We found that not much was happening in the Republican Party in this county, so my husband and I started working to get people interested in the GOP and in voting. From our county, we were elected to positions at the District level, where we have gotten to know several state and national politicians in Oklahoma. Knowing so many on a first name basis will be a great benefit when/if we occupational therapists need to contact them for local issues. Both of us were elected as Alternate Delegates to the RNC at the District Level. In the several meetings before we went to St Paul, we were privileged to get to know better all of our US Representatives and Senators, as well as Republican leaders in Oklahoma.

In meeting people, I have shared that I am an occupational therapist, so I am doing my part to create visibility for the profession. Tom Cole is our Representative whom we have known for many years, so I was thrilled to meet him in the NRCC suite with Amy, Tim, and Penny. He is well respected by all US Representatives, and is a great person to listen to the common voice. I know that we can count on him to advocate for occupational therapy.

Not sure what being an Alternate Delegate would entail, I was surprised by how much time I actually spent on the Delegation floor. Any time Delegates needed to leave the floor, Alternates were asked to take their places. I got to vote for the Platform, the Rules, and for the nomination of Sarah Palin as VP Nominee! Actually, the Alternate seating had a better view of the speakers, but it was thrilling to mingle with the Delegates, as well as reporters.

We came home exhausted, but we know we will be ready and willing to do it again in four years! I would be glad to talk with anyone on how to get involved in politics at the local level. In fact, I will be presenting on how to do just that at the OOTA Annual Conference on October 4.

Sharon Sanderson