DPT students raise over $10,000 for Adaptive Expeditions at their annual wheelchair basketball fundraiser

This year, I had the immense pleasure of leading the 2022 Shots With A Spin Fundraiser (or SWAS for short)! SWAS is wheelchair basketball tournament benefiting Adaptive Expeditions. Teams of 5-10 people register to play the game themselves against other students, faculty, and other members of the community. This year, we were very fortunate to have over 300 people participate and raised over $10,000!!

SWAS started in 2007. Every year in the summer, the current third year Doctor of Physical Therapy class partners with Adaptive Expeditions to raise money to support their programs. Adaptive Expeditions’ mission is to help those who have become disabled (paraplegics, stroke victims, amputees, etc.), find a love for recreational activity again. They host clinics for adaptive basketball, tennis, bowling, water skiing, and so much more.

As a part of the event, the fundraiser also holds a silent auction, bake sales, social media shoutouts, and more. The money raised goes directly to Adaptive Expeditions to upgrade equipment, travel and registration fees, rental fees, and more; so that anyone who is interested can sign up and potentially reignite a passion for recreational sport!

It was such a special experience for me getting to work with Joe Moore, the head of Adaptive Expeditions, and to see the impact we were having. I met with a multitude of Adaptive Expedition members from who came to the event, and they raved about how getting involved in recreational activities really helped them find a second purpose in life.

My classmate, Logan Kraft shared that participating in SWAS "was definitely one of the best things I’ve experienced in PT school. I had such a fun time helping run this event and can’t wait for the years to come!”

For me, there really is no other feeling like helping someone in need. This fundraiser did that and more. My classmate Cindy Hund agreed. She said, “it was such an honor to be a part of SWAS. There’s no better feeling than to help those in need, and these people are so deserving. Hands down one of the best causes I’ve been a part of.”

This year, we had about 70 student volunteers and another 70-80 College of Health Professions students attending the event itself. Any student can get involved, by reaching out to the head of the DPT class or Dr. Sara Kraft in late Spring or early Summer.

It really was an honor to help lead this event, and I cannot wait to see how future classes get involved, run the show, and help so many people in need in the future. Here’s to Shots With A Spin 2023!!