What is the California Outreach Challenge?
The CA Outreach Challenge is a state-wide competition that challenges SPTs and SPTAs to accrue volunteer hours in their local communities. Students register online and log volunteer hours over the course of approximately 8 months. Students and programs with the highest number of logged volunteer hours will be recognized by the CA Student Special Interest Group (CASSIG) each year.
This year, the CA Outreach Challenge begins on June 15, 2023 and ends in June 15, 2024!
Our Goals are to…
- Increase student exposure to the communities and populations they will be serving.
- Provide a platform in which PT-friendly organizations and affiliations can be recommended to students.
- Promote the PT profession through positive community interactions.
Rules of the Challenge
- Volunteer hours can only be logged after the date you register.
- Volunteer activity cannot be part of a clinical affiliation or clinical experience which serves the student only.
- Volunteer activities cannot be logged for fundraisers benefiting the student, or the student’s PT/PTA program.
- Volunteer donations cannot be logged as hours towards the CA Outreach Challenge.
- Volunteer hours must achieve one of the goals of the challenge listed above, and involve student to community interaction.
- Volunteer hours cannot be logged for TA/tutoring roles within a PT/PTA program.
- You may log no more than 30 hours with a single organization over the course of the Challenge.
- Exceptions for 2020-2021: Give blood at a blood drive = 2 hours / 1 pair of shoes for shoe drive = 1 hour
Challenge Awards:
Top performers in the following categories will be recognized at the California Student Conclave:
PT/PTA Program Awards:
- Top PT program with most overall volunteer hours
- Top PTA program with most overall volunteer hours
- Programs who have logged at least 1000 hours of community service will receive recognition
- Top PT program with the highest number of volunteer hours per student
- Top PTA program with the highest number of volunteer hours per student
Individual Awards:
- Top SPT with the most overall volunteer hours
- Top SPTA with the most overall volunteer hours
- Students who have logged at least 100 hours of community service will receive recognition