The campaign represents an industry-wide social awareness and consciousness initiative that will help support the nonprofit's new Global Institute
DENVER, Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Steps2Walk®, an international humanitarian nonprofit organization that focuses on providing surgical solutions and training in under-served regions around the world, announced today the second year of its corporate and employee giving campaign, "Stepping Together." Since its launch in 2023, the campaign has secured more than $4.9 million in funds or in-kind donations from partners such as Orthofix Medical. In 2024, the organization's goal is to secure $5 million for the campaign.
Through employee fundraising, company matching, contests and other elements of the campaign, "Stepping Together" will help fund the organization's newly announced Steps2Walk Global Institute, which will deliver education, training and mentorship opportunities for orthopedic surgeons specializing in treating foot and ankle deformities.
"We launched 'Stepping Together' in 2023 to provide a way for stakeholders within the orthopedic industry to come together and help us deliver on our mission to give the "gift of walking" to people around the world," said Steps2Walk CEO Tom Ferro. "Our surgeons, and many times their families that join them, get so much out of the trips and volunteering their surgical and training skills; this is also a way for companies and their employees across the industry to experience the same incredible feeling of giving back and making an impact in someone's life."
Founded in 2000 by world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Myerson, Steps2Walk has performed surgeries on more than 1,700 people with severe foot and ankle deformities and trained hundreds of local surgeons across 24 countries, many of which have limited resources when it comes to orthopedic care.
"When we embark on our programs, we take a week to perform up to 20 surgeries on people who have traveled hundreds of miles or waited years to access treatment that we often take for granted in the United States," said Myerson. "That's why a critical part of our mission is to provide education and training to the local surgeons, so that they can both treat their patients after we leave as well as train the next generation. This campaign will help fund that training, so that more and more people can have access to the care they need."
In December, Step2Walk announced a $4.7 million in-kind donation from Orthofix Medical, Inc., which included orthopedic foot and ankle implants and associated instrument sets that will be used in the upcoming missions. Later this year, the organization will announce additional donations and grants from innovative companies impassioned by the mission of Steps2Walk.
Steps2Walk recently returned from their first mission of the year in Sri Lanka and has 17 more planned throughout 2024.
"As a nonprofit that conducts our programs in countries where, many times, the healthcare resources are limited, we often rely on donations, volunteers and fundraising from the medical personnel in each host country," said Ferro. "By expanding our reach to corporate and employee giving as well as in-kind donations through 'Stepping Together,' we can relieve some of that burden from the local hospitals that are already strained for resources."
For more information on how your company can take part in the "Stepping Together" campaign, contact Tom Ferro at [email protected]. Steps2Walk also accepts online donations, which can give the gift of walking to those who need it most and help fund critical training and education programs for regional orthopedic surgeons.
About Steps2Walk
Steps2Walk, a 501(c)(3) organization, is an international network of surgeons working to perform surgical care on individuals suffering from severe foot and ankle deformities in under-served regions of the world, while simultaneously educating orthopedic surgeons in various treatment and care alternatives. Founded by Dr. Mark Myerson in 2000 to provide a sustainable model of care and surgical training and to help patients regain their mobility and improve their quality of life, Steps2Walk envisions a world where everyone, no matter their circumstances, has access to quality surgical foot and ankle care. In its 23 years of service, Steps2Walk has completed more than 1,7000 surgical operations and trained more than 1,500 regional surgeons in over 24 countries around the globe. By investing time into educating local surgeons and revisiting countries where the need is greatest and the resources are few, Steps2Walk is creating a lasting impact that will ultimately give The Gift of Walking to thousands of people worldwide.
Media Contact
Lee Redding, Steps2Walk, 1 706-537-6596, [email protected], steps2walk.org
SOURCE Steps2Walk
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