ATSU students help Special Olympics Arizona

For the second year in a row, ATSU students from ASHS and SOMA participated in the 3rd Annual Red Rock Sprint and Unified Triathlon to benefit Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) on Sept. 11 at The Village at DC Ranch Health Club and Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. Four first-year PA students and one first-year SOMA student ran the first aid station at the finish line of both the sprint and unified triathlons to monitor athletes who may have been struggling with the event, dehydrated in the Arizona heat, or otherwise injured or in need of medical attention. One first-year PA student participated in the unified triathlon, and two participated in the sprint triathlon. One third-year OT student and one OT alumnus from the 2010 class brought therapy dogs to the event to entertain Special Olympics participants. Five third-year OTs participated in the unified triathlon, and two sat on the planning committee throughout 2010 to plan this Special Olympics event. “As a school that strives to promote an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare in the academic environment, as well as pushing its students and faculty to give back to our communities, ATSU has been strong in its representation of both of these values through participation in this event every year,” said Rachel Feierstein, OT ’11 and member of the SOAZ Sprint and Unified Triathlon Event Planning Committee. In 2009, ATSU was a top fundraiser, as well as having students from four different programs participate in both the sprint and unified triathlon events. This year’s ATSU participants included: SOMA Erica Brueggen, OMS I (First Aid Tent Volunteer) ASHS PA program Kali Delzompo, ’12 (First Aid Tent Volunteer) Mara Immediato, ’12 (First Aid Tent Volunteer) Anne Turner, ’12 (First Aid Tent Volunteer) Karyn Earle, ’12 (First Aid Tent Volunteer) Kristen Buchanan, ’12 (Sprint Triathlon Participant) Camilla Jensen, ’12 (Sprint Triathlon Participant) Rachel DeVine, ’12 (Unified Triathlon Participant) ASHS OT program Ashley Shapely, ’10 (Therapy Dog Volunteer) Jennifer Allenstein, ’11 (Therapy Dog Volunteer) Jennifer Klaine, ’11 (Unified Triathlon Participant) Ashley Schoonover, ’11 (Unified Triathlon Participant) Jessica Nelson, ’11 (Unified Triathlon Participant) Kendra Mitchell, ’11 (Unified Triathlon Participant & SOAZ Sprint & Unified Triathlon Event Planning Committee) Rachael Feierstein , ’11 (Unified Triathlon Participant & SOAZ Sprint & Unified Triathlon Event Planning Committee)