Another Successful Donate Your Kicks Campaign! 

The OPA Windsor District extends a huge thank you to everyone across Windsor-Essex who participated in the 2026 Donate Your Kicks Campaign! Held throughout the month of May in celebration of National Physiotherapy Month, the shoe drive was organized by Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) and the Windsor District of OPA to help stock the HDGH Clothing Closet, giving patients access to footwear and clothing they may need. 

The campaign’s goal is simple but meaningful: a good pair of shoes can make all the difference in a patient’s recovery. Without proper footwear, mobility and rehabilitation can be significantly harder to achieve. Thanks to the generosity of staff, students, volunteers, and the wider community, patients throughout the rehab hospital now have greater access to the shoes they need to get moving again. 

This year’s campaign wouldn’t have been possible without the support of several community partners who set up their own collection boxes, including: 

1. The Running Factory (Manager Kristy Ireland) 

2. Riverside Physiotherapy (Troy Sajatovich, PT, and staff) 

3. Loaring Physiotherapy (Wesley Bellemore, PT, and staff) 

4. Leap Physiotherapy (Alex Graham, PT, and staff) 

5. Willow Health Centre, Chatham (Tegan Vermey, PT, and staff) 

6. Erie Shores and Rehabilitation, Kingsville (Roberta Weston, PT, and staff) 

7. Tecumseh Physiotherapy (Danese Tezer and Sarah Primeau, PTs, and staff) 

A special thank you was also extended to HDGH Rehab 4 volunteer Simona Brezeanu, who generously gave up her own time to clean, sort, and organize more than 200 pairs of donated shoes! Her dedication and hard work behind the scenes made a huge difference in getting these donations ready for patients in need. 

The OPA Windsor District thanks everyone who donated, collected, and volunteered to make this year’s campaign such a success, and looks forward to bringing the Donate Your Kicks Campaign back again next year!