SOTA Spearheads University’s Participation in WalkMS

One of the many aspects occupational therapists (OT) work is in the area of pain management related to patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Individuals diagnosed with MS have different symptoms, which vary such as pain, fatigue and impaired coordination.

“As OTs, we can focus on all the activities of daily living that are impacted for an individual with MS as well as educating them on pain management,” said Danielle Ferrera ‘23OT, president of the Salus University chapter of the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA).

That’s why when the opportunity came up to help the national MS Association of America raise money, the Salus SOTA students swung into action.

The group — which in addition of Ferrera includes vice president Bridgid Harkin, secretary Emily Nichols and treasurer Chrystyna Colón, all ‘23OT — organized the University’s participation in WalkMS Philadelphia, which starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia.

In past years, Salus students have participated in MuckFest MS Philadelphia, a 5K course that includes obstacles, muddy pits, trenches and craters. But the Salus SOTA group decided more students might participate if there was less strenuous physical activity than what was required for MuckFest.

“We did some research and still wanted to raise money for the national MS Society. We found out that WalkMS had a walk in Philadelphia and it was at the end of the semester. And, we thought it would work out well with planning and getting the entire school involved,” said Ferrera.

There will be a one-mile and three-mile route that each individual can choose to participate in on the day of the event. For those interested in attending WalkMS Philadelphia and/or fundraising for the national MS Society, take the following steps:

1. Use this link to register under the "Salus University team.”
2. Click on "Join Our Team.” 
3. Select “Walker” or “Virtual Participant.”

For those unsure if they would like to attend the walk in person, SOTA members suggest choosing “Walker” on the registration form. If one signs up to be a “Walker” and does not attend May 7, there is no penalty. There is also no minimum amount of money that one needs to raise to attend the walk.

“Virtual” participants can simply raise funds and not attend the walk and don’t actually need to “attend” the walk virtually, it’s called that so people who just want to help fundraise can contribute in some way.

“We thought that this was a wonderful event to get involved in because you can create a ‘Team’ which can include members who would like to fundraise, attend the walk, or do both. This way we would be able to hopefully get the greatest number of individuals involved in the Salus community,” said Ferrera.

When registering, participants will be able to personalize their own fundraising page to be shared on social media platforms and with family and friends. The money raised on one’s participant page will transfer to the Salus University team total.

For more information of questions about the event, contact the Salus chapter of SOTA at sota@salus.edu.