The Physical Therapy students at Saint Louis University organized a walk/run event this past weekend to benefit the national Physical Therapy Foundation.

The event started on West Pine Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue and then went from Grand Boulevard to Laclede Avenue to Taylor Avenue then back around to West Pine at Xavier Hall. It began at 8:30 a.m. and took a half hour for most runners and about an hour for walkers. The total distance was 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles.

The Foundation gives scholarships to doctoral students and grants money to physical therapy students who are conducting research, both scientific and clinical. Every school that donates money gets recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association, or APTA.

A committee, comprised of seven students and faculty members, organized the event and offered input, although, as Amy Scheidegger, a senior physical therapy student, says, it was “totally up to us.” The idea originated as a way to raise money for the PT department at SLU.

The committee then found out that there was a national organization to which they could contribute funds.

Scheidegger said the students thought, “It would be fun for a PT race.” However, she said SLU gets no money. This year 150 people, mostly SLU students, participated. It was advertised on the SLU Newslink online, flyers, posters and through the St. Louis Bread Company.

Recent changes in the physical therapy department have been the addition of a doctorate program, which is approximately an additional 18 hours. These can be completed online in order to allow graduates of the undergraduate and masters programs to complete this degree while joining the workforce.

Scheidegger said that the event “supported a good cause,” thereby espousing the University’s Catholic, Jesuit tradition of being men and women for others. Being a healthcare profession, physical therapy promotes health to others, a form of service to humanity. She also says that the professors at SLU have been “emphasiz[ing] this importance of research,” as a way to give back.

Scheidegger cites the uniqueness of the event, saying it is an activity that promotes health, which anyone can do, as well as raising awareness of the field, and also garnering attention for SLU and the department.

Plans include continuing the race next year and expanding to other area schools that feature PT departments, such as Washington University and Maryville University.

Individuals who chose to participate paid $12. This year, approximately $6,000 was raised. After costs for T-shirts and other expenditures are subtracted, the total profit will be close to $1,000 for the University’s first year of participation.