Celebration Ideas

Please take a moment to recognize the work you do as hand therapists and join ASHT in celebrating Hand Therapy Awareness & Injury Prevention Week, June 8-12, 2009.

There is an array of activities you can do to help celebrate the work you love, and at the same time, bring awareness and appreciation to the hand therapy field in your clinic and in your community.

Here are a few tips on how you can celebrate:

• Visit doctor offices with a kit of Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week promotional items, hand-shaped cookies and a brochure explaining the benefits of hand therapy.

• Hold a clinic-wide kick-off party on Monday, the first day of Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week, and invite a "top dog" to talk about how important hand therapy is to the healthcare arena.

• Record a Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week message on the clinic answering machine.

• Ask your clinic or community Chamber of Commerce to take out an ad announcing Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week in your local newspaper.  (Ready-made advertisements are available from ASHT, which you can personalize to fit your clinic's needs.)

• Offer the services of your staff to speak to local groups, such as high school or college sports programs, the YWCA or YMCA, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary and Lion's Clubs.

• Organize a Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week celebration team - be certain to include a representative from as many areas as possible, like the receptionist - and hold a brainstorming session.  Some of the best ideas come from brainstorming.

• Send a special "thank you" letter or message to your patients and doctors you work with.  Click here to view some sample letters.

• Conduct a clinic-wide letter-writing campaign to have the governor of your state, or mayor of your town, proclaim Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week.  Invite your mayor to a special clinic event.  Click here to view a Request for Proclamation letter and sample Proclamation.

• Hold an open house - serve coffee, soft drinks and cookies - and invite other departments to drop by.  Give all guests something to walk away with by ordering special give-away items through ASHT.

• Design fun baskets of hand cookies/candies to give to local schools, healthcare facilities or referring physicians.  Include hand therapy statistics and benefits.

• Recognize your hard-working hand therapists with a certificate of appreciation.

• Send news releases on outstanding hand therapists to your local newspaper.  Include comments from patients and managers with a photo of the hand therapist.

• Invite your local Chamber of Commerce or other companies in the area to participate in Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week for a community-wide celebration.  (If you are holding an open house - don't forget to invite them as your special guest.)

• Hold an appreciation dinner for your hand therapy staff.

• Designate a "give-away day" during the week and award a special gift to each new patient who comes for treatment that day.

• Send ASHT Headquarters a description of your celebration right after Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week.

• Invite all employees to an awards ceremony.  Plaques can be given in recognition for areas of accomplishment through the past year.

• Distribute a special Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week bulletin or newsletter.  Feature photos and articles on your celebration ideas.

• Sponsor a Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week poster contest and have employees' children and local schools participate.  Not only will you get great designs you can display, you'll educate children at an early age on the value of hand therapy.

• Be sure all therapists are aware of Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week - encourage them to suggest ways to observe it.

Back to Hand Therapy Awareness & Injury Prevention Week