Clarkson University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Class of 2024 is hoping to add to its track record of community service this upcoming school year.
Currently, the class has plans to host a food drive during the holiday season, as it did last year, and also conduct a clothing drive. According to Class President Rick Valdes ‘24, the cohort decided it wanted to focus on helping the community after several initiatives in its first semester at Clarkson.
“The desire to be involved with the community was solidified in the second semester when we needed to establish an identity for our cohort,” Valdes explained. “The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has nine core values that serve as a guide for the profession, and among them is ‘social responsibility.’ The APTA defines social responsibility as ‘the promotion of a mutual trust between the profession and the larger public that necessitates responding to societal needs for health and wellness.’ Understanding this, we agreed this was the culture we wanted to instill.”
In the past, the CPT Class of 2024 has assisted in a food drive for Helping Hands, a local charitable organization, to provide food items to families in need during the holiday season. They have assisted their predecessors in the program with their initiative with Girls on the Run, a national non-profit organization, which designs programming that strengthens third- to eighth-grade girls’ social, emotional, physical and behavioral skills to navigate life experiences successfully. The class also participated in the Dragon Boat fundraising races held during Summerfest by the Lewis School of Health Sciences, and most recently hosted a blood drive to support local hospitals.
Valdes said community engagement efforts benefit both the community and the students and develops trust between the public and Clarkson’s Health Sciences programs.
“It serves as a reminder that we are here to respond to the needs of the community, that we will do so in the ways we can, and will do so to the best of our ability,” he said. “For the students specifically, it allows us to practice the process of organizing initiatives. So that no matter where we establish ourselves once we graduate, we have the skill set to impact our communities.”
Valdes said the DPT Class of 2024 is open to new ideas and opportunities to give back to the Potsdam community. Anyone who would like to contact the class can reach out to Valdes at valdesra@clarkson.edu.