October 30 – Dallas, TX – The Masters Program Orthotic & Prosthetic students at UTSW recently coordinated and hosted two OPAF First Clinics as part of their second year schooling. This is the 7th year in a row that the MSOP students at UTSW have worked together to bring introductory level recreation to the physically challenged population in Dallas. The events were held on the campus of Southern Methodist University in their tennis center which provided space for both First Dance and First Volley Tennis. The events were made possible with grant funding from the Barr Amputee Assistance Fund and financial support from Spinal Tech, ALPS South and SPS.
First Dance was led by a second year UTSW student, Kellen Weigand with a dance background. Kellen introduced the tango, the box step, a Texas 2 step and more to a group of participants and fellow students and volunteers. A group of amputees joined us from Abilene – over a three hour drive – to partake in the activities of the day, which also included lunch and lots of giveaways. Local clinicians were also part of the day for both dance and tennis. First Volley was led by Director Darren Kindred and assisted by USTA Texas Wheelchair instructor Cindy Benzon. We had both amputee and wheelchair participants on court for the afternoon.
The three student leaders for UTSW were Cristalei Polk, Aaron Greene and Olivia Sheffer. They offered
“As a student body, the UT Southwestern Prosthetics and Orthotics Master’s Program was honored to host the Dallas 2019 FirstClinics. We were very excited to reach out to our local prosthetic user population and help individuals learn how to, or continue to, participate in extracurricular activities in their community. We want the best for everyone in our community, and we are proud to provide whatever opportunities we can to the people around us.”
