Making a Difference with Movement

As Chicagoland’s leading provider of physical and occupational therapy, we are a group of passionate individuals who believe in the power of movement. To encourage health and wellness and to give back the communities who need us the most right now, we launched the Athletico Cares Virtual 5K Challenge.

“Athletico’s mission is to empower people, inspire hope and transform lives. Our clinicians live up to our mission by making a lasting impact on the lives of countless patients each and every day. But our employees understand this mission extends beyond our clinics, which is why we’ve come together to make a positive impact in our local communities. We hope that the Virtual 5k Challenge shows that while we may be socially distant, we’re still very much emotionally connected,” said Ron Rodgers, CEO of Athletico Physical Therapy.

The challenge was simple. Run 5 – Donate $5 – Share with 5. Participants were asked to run or walk a 5K (3.1 miles), donate $5 to Feeding America and then nominate five more people in their social media network to do the same! Participants used the hashtag #AthleticoCares to help spread the word about this positive initiative that ran from April 27th to May 11th.

Carrie Bienkowski, Athletico’s Chief Marketing Officer explains why Feeding America was the charity of choice for the Athletico Cares Virtual 5K Challenge. “The partnership was an easy, natural choice. The food banks in Feeding America’s network provide critical services in every community that Athletico operates in. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in March, these food banks have seen a significant increase in demand coupled with declining donations. We were confident that there would be an enthusiastic response from Athletico employees to help provide basic necessities for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.”

Employees, partners and members of the community all came together to get moving and give back! Check out some of the photos from the Virtual 5K in the slideshow below.

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger.

The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.