When it comes to the transformational power of the physical therapy profession, sometimes you can measure success in feet—specifically, kids' feet.

APTA members and staff, led by Brad Thuringer, PTA, recently made a very direct impact on some of Boston’s children in need by donating more than 700 pairs of shoes and several thousands of pairs of socks as part of the national "Shoes4Kids" campaign. Thuringer has led APTA's Shoes4Kids efforts for several years, making donations in the cities that host the APTA NEXT Conference and Exposition.

This year, the city was Boston. This year was also a record-breaker for the level of APTA involvement, with donations being made onsite by attendees as well as at APTA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, where staff adopted Shoes4Kids as a part of its in-house "APTAServe" community service program.

The donation event was held at Boston Catholic Charities. APTA volunteers, mostly students from the Simmons College physical therapy program, were on hand to help the children and their families find the right fit. Many of the children at the event had been wearing the same shoes for months, and had grown 1 or more shoe sizes over that time.

"We are so grateful that … all the volunteers and donors chose to partner with Catholic Charities," said Holly Clark, director of stewardship and donor relations. "All of the APTA volunteers provided a special service to our families and treated everyone with dignity. Our families and children were absolutely delighted with the day. [The APTA volunteers] clearly communicated health and wellness benefits of what you were offering rather than needs of people. It makes a big difference."

APTA will work with Shoes4Kids as part of the 2018 NEXT Conference in Orlando, with Orlando University of Central Florida hosting the program.