Blending Charitable Donations Into The Structure Of Your Business

The Massage Therapy Foundation is working to raise the awareness of every massage therapist about the importance of good research that can improve the way they practice. Leading educators in our field use that information to enrich their classes and workshops.

I am Michael Holloway, owner of Takemyregistration.com. For the last nine years I have been promoting live seminars for the massage industry featuring many of the top names in the industry. Aaron Mattes, Erik Dalton, Ben Benjamin, Paul St John, James Waslaski, Bruce Baltz, Anita Shannon, Ellen Watson and many more have worked with me. I am also a donor to the Massage Therapy Foundation because I feel strongly that their work in research, education, and community service supports our whole profession.

The Tapestry that is the Massage Therapy Foundation

Few weaves are as tight as the fabric that holds the massage profession together. The fun part is that when you start to pull on the individual strings, they often lead back to the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF). Let me share this colorful tapestry with you as I share a few tidbits from some of our conference experiences this summer!

In June, MTF President Ruth Werner, MTF Vice President Cliff Korn, and I were among several hundred folks who attended the Florida State Massage Therapy Conference (FSMTA) in Orlando. We were so fortunate to have top-notch volunteers such as Taya Countryman, Lisa Curran Parenteau, Sandy Pearce, Barb Richmond, and Lynda Solien-Wolfe also waving the MTF flag.

Michael McGillicuddy, Leslie Young, Thomas Myers, and Lynda Solien-Wolfe at KTA International Symposium, June 2011.

The Massage Therapy Foundation and You

In my opinion, the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) is the key for the massage profession to gaining acceptance in the public eye, as well as confirming our profession’s value. With its mission to “advance the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education, and community service,” the Massage Therapy Foundation moves our profession forward. They have student and professional case report contests, they give grants to community service projects to help those in need, as well as grants for research projects. They also publish the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (IJTMB) which is FREE to everyone and is now indexed on PubMed.gov.

Arizona AMTA Chapter Donates $10,000 to the MTF

More than 80 American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) Chapter volunteer leaders from around the country gathered over the weekend at the Hilton Garden Inn in Evanston to learn more about the Association’s programs and services, and how they can use them to encourage involvement and provide relevancy to its members.

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) had the opportunity to present an overview and highlight its accomplishments on Friday, July 8, 2011, to the national audience, stressing the research and programs it funds and how state chapters can get involved to grow as professionals and collectively build a better industry.

Front row (from left to right) – Ann Blair Kennedy (SC), Patti Stanley (AZ)
Back row (from left to right) – Sandy Anderson (AZ), Lil Hackett (AZ), Tee Wills (AZ), Gini Ohlson (MTF), Michelle Cordero (AZ)

This is Your Foundation

Right now at the Massage Therapy Foundation, there are some superbly dedicated folks having intense conversations ranging from philosophical to financial. But for the last 20 years of our existence, one question has always preceded the rest: How can we most effectively build the future of our profession? What needs to happen so that a massage therapist 20 years from today is better trained, more fairly compensated, and more capable of professional growth? How can we ensure that those who desperately need skilled massage will have access to it?

That’s the future we’re chasing down. Not just more evidence: better evidence. Not merely proliferation but professionalization. Higher standards, yes, but also the great unimagined possibilities of bodywork. These goals are what drive our Practitioner and Student Case Report Contests, our Free Scientific Journal, our Community Service and Research Grants, classes, and conferences.

One thing is for sure — we will need you (the massage-aware public) along for the ride. In this space you’ll see questions on massage education, on the science of bodywork, and on our evolving professional identity. If you have thoughts to share, I invite you to leave comments below or over on Facebook.

Above all, feel free to click around our blog and website and see what we’re up to. This is your Foundation.

About the Author

Michael Hamm, LMP, CCST is equally in love with science and artistry, and believes both to be essential to good bodywork. Mike is a 2005 graduate of the Brian Utting School of Massage, and has completed additional training in craniosacral work, structural/orthopedic treatment, and trauma recovery. As an instructor at Cortiva Institute – Seattle, Mike teaches anatomy, research literacy and a variety of techniques. He was the winner of the Massage Therapy Foundation’s 2005 Student Case Report Contest, and presently serves as a reviewer for the Foundation’s Professional Case Report Contest. He has been on the MTF Board of Trustees since 2010. He has also written articles for the Massage Therapy Journal, Massage & Bodywork Magazine, and the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. When not teaching or doing bodywork, Mike plays music in a Seattle band.