The inaugural Global PT Day of Service, a day for physical therapists and others to pledge their time to serve their communities, will take place on October 17.

The event was conceptualized by two physical therapists: Efosa L. Guobadia, DPT, director of ATI MissionWorks for ATI Physical Therapy, and Josh D’Angelo, PT, DPT, an outpatient doctor of physical therapy with Inova Health System in Fairfax, Va,.

The idea has grown into a palpable movement driven by 10 volunteers, several ambassadors—including those from 23 countries, and nearly 40 sponsors, according to a media release publicizing the event.

The premise of the day is simple. First, visit the Global PT Day of Service website. Then, either pledge to participate, sponsor, or donate to the initiative.

The service from participating PTs isn’t limited to providing treatments, but to donating their service and time to anything in their community that needs help. This could include working in a soup kitchen, cleaning up a park, or assisting a local nonprofit, for example, the release notes.

“Our hope for this day is that it sparks new connections, strengthens established ones, and further stimulates conversations on how we can keep this river flowing strongly for our profession and the communities we touch,” Guobadia explains in the release.

[Source: Global PT Day of Service]