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When you think of Rolyan, you might see the spectrum of colors from the logo, or picture splinting materials, hook-and-loop straps, foam padding, and the trusted tools clinicians reach for every day. But those same supplies have also traveled far beyond the clinic, packed into suitcases, carried into workshops, and used by occupational and hand therapists on humanitarian missions around the world.
Over the past several years, Performance Health and Rolyan have supported clinicians who are expanding access to care, sharing splinting skills, and helping patients regain function in communities where rehabilitation resources may be limited. Here’s a look at a few of those meaningful moments.
2026: Supporting Hand Therapy Care in Trinidad and Tobago
In 2026, Performance Health and Rolyan were proud to support Laurie Thurber, OT, CHT, on a Touching Hands Foundation mission trip to Trinidad and Tobago. Rolyan donated splinting supplies, including colorful loop and black adhesive hook, which were paired with Rolyan Aquaplast material from a previous Performance Health donation.
Those materials helped Thurber provide splinting care for adults and children throughout the trip. The volunteer team performed nine free surgeries, while Thurber led a splinting workshop for 20 local occupational therapists and students. In other words, the supplies helped support both immediate care and hands-on education that could continue benefiting patients long after the team returned home.
“The trip was very successful and the team performed 9 free surgeries to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. I had the opportunity to run a free splint workshop with 20 local OT’s and students which was very well-received, as well as provide free care to many adults and children over the week. Thank you so much for your generosity!” ~Laurie Thurber, OT, CHT
2026: Hand Surgery Mission Support in Zambia
Also in 2026, Performance Health and Rolyan supported a hand surgery mission trip with Surgicorps International to Zambia through a donation of Rolyan splinting supplies. The donation included Rolyan TailorSplint and Ezeform thermoplastic sheets, along with Rolyan loop, giving clinicians the materials they needed to provide custom splinting care for children.
During the trip, the team made 81 splints for children and taught three Zambian physiotherapists how to make splints, helping extend the mission’s impact through both direct care and hands-on education.
A special thank you to OTs Kim Rosinski and Cathie Dorr for generously donating their time, skills, and expertise to make a meaningful impact. Their work is another reminder of how clinical knowledge, compassionate care, and the right supplies can come together to improve lives.
Rosinski expressed her own gratitude for the assistance provided by Rolyan:
“Thanks again so much for the supplies. I truly don’t know what we would do without them! We made 81 splints for the kids and were able to teach three Zambian physiotherapists how to make splints.” — Kim Rosinski, OT
2023: Rolyan Supplies Travel to Nepal, Bangladesh, and India
In 2023, Nina Healy, a hand therapist from Denver, Colorado, volunteered her time and clinical expertise across several trips to communities in Nepal. With Rolyan supplies donated by Performance Health, Healy treated patients with needs ranging from burn scars to hand injuries while also helping local therapists build confidence with new splinting techniques.
One highlight from the trip was a splinting workshop with local therapists, where participants practiced their skills and helped rehabilitate a young man with a hand injury. It was the kind of experience that shows how donated materials can do more than meet an immediate need; they can become teaching tools that support future care.
Healy also traveled to Bangladesh and India with additional Rolyan supplies donated by Performance Health. The materials were used in a variety of creative and clinically meaningful ways, including fabricating a neck collar after a burn-related neck contracture release, constructing a long leg splint to support immobilization after skin grafting, and helping patients maintain positioning after contracture releases and skin grafts.
In one case, splinting helped support a patient who had lived with an elbow contracture for 25 years after being burned as a child. After the contracture was released as much as possible, a custom splint was fabricated to help prevent recurrence following release and skin grafting.
2022: Bringing Rehabilitation Support to Armenia
In 2022, Michelle Rogers, OTR/L, CHT, and her team participated in a humanitarian trip to Armenia, bringing Rolyan products donated by Performance Health to people in need. During the trip, the team visited multiple villages, seeing adults, wounded soldiers, children, doctors, and nurses through home and clinic visits.
The donated materials were used in practical, personalized ways. For one wounded soldier, the team used splinting material and foam padding to create a shoe insert that helped him walk without crutches for the first time. For a 16-year-old with cerebral palsy, they created a soft nighttime splint using a foam roll cover, Velcro, and straps. For several others, foam tubing was added to improvised cane handles made from pipes wrapped with tape or chair parts; small adaptations that can make a big difference in comfort and daily function.
At the end of the trip, the team left the extra supplies in Armenia and educated local staff on how to use them with their patients. That combination of donated products and shared knowledge helped extend the impact of the trip beyond the team’s time on the ground.
2022: Medical Supplies Donated to Ukraine
That same year, Performance Health also donated four truckloads of medical supplies to support those in need in Ukraine. The donation included more than 120 pallets of supplies, such as arm slings, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, nitrile gloves, masks, and more. The supplies were transported from the Performance Health Indianapolis Distribution Center to Chicago and then flown to Ukraine, where the first priority was support for the Ukraine military, with additional supplies going to local hospitals.
While this donation reached beyond Rolyan specifically, it reflects the same spirit behind these missions: helping get meaningful healthcare supplies into the hands of people and providers who need them most.
Still to Come
Jyo Supnekar OTD, OTR, CHT, COMT, CLT will be embarking on another mission trip in September 2026 with ReSurge to LaPaz Bolivia. More information on this trip will be added once it is completed.
Small Supplies, Lasting Impact
From splinting workshops to custom adaptations, these missions show how hand therapy supplies can play a role in care, education, and recovery around the world. A piece of thermoplastic material, a roll of hook-and-loop, or a strip of foam padding might seem simple, but in the hands of a skilled clinician, those tools can help restore movement, improve comfort, support healing, and make everyday activities a little more possible.
Performance Health and Rolyan are honored to support clinicians who bring care, creativity, and compassion to communities near and far. These stories are a reminder that when trusted products meet dedicated people, the impact can travel a very long way.
