The fifth annual PT Day of Service™ is taking the entire world by storm on October 12. We invite you to join thousands of physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, students, and others as we serve our local and global communities.
Nearly 15,000 participants in 60 countries have joined the PTDOS cause since its inception in 2015. What began as a simple question of “What if…” has grown into a worldwide movement—and we’re excited to expand this movement even more in 2019.
Steps to Get Involved
Getting involved is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
- Pledge to participate and find a project near you using the Project Map.
- Create your own project as a PTDOS Ambassador.
- Serve on October 12 or within one week of that date.
PTDOS Stories: Compassion, Community, and Collaboration
Looking for inspiration for your service event? Here are some ways that groups across the globe have gotten involved with PTDOS, excerpted from this page. The opportunities are endless—you could work in a soup kitchen, clean up a beach or park, or even provide treatment in a pro bono clinic. What matters most is that you go out and serve!
Schereville, Indiana: Blankets for Kids
“Our group of PT/PTA students, professors, and therapists have worked with Campagna Academy for PTDOS for the last three years. This last year we wanted to come up with a service that could benefit the children and teens for an extended amount of time. They were in need of blankets for the upcoming winter, so we got busy! We got together and made over 20 tie blankets of various sizes and themes. The kids were able to pick out a blanket to call their own. It was such a blessing to help these children, and in doing so, unite our community of students, therapists, and professors! Global PTDOS was a great success in our community!”
– Courtney Huisenga, PTA
Durham, North Carolina: Habitat for Humanity
“In 2017, the Duke DPT program utilized the one-week window surrounding the actual PTDOS to organize three different service events. We recognize that our students are busy, so we felt that it was best to provide multiple ways for our students to participate in PTDOS. We organized an event where our students provided functional movement screens to local residents at a vocational rehab center. These functional movement screens helped clear the residents for work and helped to screen the residents for necessary referrals to other providers such as physical therapists, physicians, and psychologists. We also organized a Habitat for Humanity volunteer day on the actual PTDOS where 15 of our students participated in building a community member’s new home. Lastly, we organized a way for 10 students to volunteer with a Miracle League of the Triangle game, a program designed to help people with special needs experience joy and community through baseball.”
– Kathleen Daly, Duke University
Barbados: Hands Up for Home Improvements
On PT Day of Service (PTDOS) 2017, the Barbados Physical Therapy Association (BPTA) participated in its first PTDOS project. The association selected the Thelma Vaughn home (a facility catering to individuals with disabilities and a respite center) for its community service project. Physiotherapists, national athletes, and Kiwanians all volunteered and worked to spruce up the home by painting the rooms. Volunteers also engaged the residents of the home in various board games and coloring activities, and donations of various food and household items were made to the matron of the home. The BPTA was very pleased to have participated in PTDOS 2017 and to have made a positive impact on the Barbadian community. “One of our major goals last year was to increase our presence in the community: to give back to communities, to lend a hand where needed, and to take part in projects that are important to us—putting service above self.”
– Dr. Nicola Yard, BPTA President
More Ways to Participate
Looking for even more ways to get involved with PTDOS? You can support our parent organization, Move Together. Move Together is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase access to quality rehab medicine around the corner and around the world. Move Together handles all of the operations and expenses involved with planning, promoting, and executing PTDOS each year. You can further support our mission by becoming a sponsor (for organizations) or making a donation (as an individual). Contributions help fund and fuel Move Together’s programs and efforts.
The PTDOS team is looking forward to working with you this year—and in many future years to come—as we all unite to serve our communities. You can quickly reach us by email at info@ptdayofservice.com.
Be sure to keep up to date with all things PTDOS through our website and social media pages, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Matthew Downey, PT, DPT, OCS, graduated with his DPT in 2017 from Cal State Long Beach. He currently works in outpatient orthopedics at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. He has served in numerous roles for the American Physical Therapy Association, California Physical Therapy Association, and the PT Day of Service team.
