Chiropractic interns from National University’s Whole Health Center-Aurora volunteered at the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association (NEDSRA) 36th Annual Track and Field Meet, The event was held at Glenbard East High School in Lombard on Saturday, May 16th.  NEDSRA provides recreation opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

This is the second year interns from the Aurora clinic volunteered for this event.  This year, NEDSRA’s special guest Toma Dobrosavijevic, winner of season 16 of”The Biggest Loser,” spoke during the opening ceremony!

DC interns Bethany Fluto, Maciej Romanczyk, Torante Venable, and Young Kim under the supervision of their clinician Dr. Sonia V. Joubert, provided free stretches and soft tissue work to event volunteers, the athletes and their caregivers.  They were able to treat over 100 patients, including athletes with special needs.

“We look forward to attending more events like this in the future as it gives a special meaning to the services we provide,” says Dr. Joubert.  “It was a very intense work day given the heat and moments of rain. At the same time, it was very rewarding to see the smile and laughter of the athletes. Some athletes came back after each of their events for more care or to show us their medals. The youngest athlete we treated was 12 and the oldest was in his mid 80s. NESDRA is an amazing program, and we are happy to have the opportunity to work with them.”

National University has a proud tradition of giving back to the communities it serves. Outreach events, such as the NEDSRA Track and Field Meet, also provide interns with valuable experience in applying both their medical and community leadership skills.