Posted:Tuesday, November 26, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Massage Therapy Foundation Awards 2024 Community Service Grants
(Evanston, IL, November 25, 2024) The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) announces the award of four Community Service Grants for the 2024 granting cycle. MTF’s Community Service Grants bring the benefits of massage therapy to people who would otherwise not have access. The grantees are:
JUSTtouch: Community Access to Sustainable Healing
Oakland Communities United for Equity and Justice, Oakland, CA
$5,000
The JUSTtouch outreach project provides a dedicated weekly chair massage pop-up for severe low-income and individuals of color who are experiencing homelessness, currently served by Oakland Communities United for Equity and Justice. A supervising Massage Practitioner with a track record of successful externship supervision will recruit students from the local National Holistic Institute, Emeryville, CA, massage school. Together the supervisor, students, and other volunteers will offer weekly chair massage, support for stress management, and other holistic resources.
Providing MT for Children at a Pediatric Infusion Center
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland, CA
$5,000
Through this grant, UCSF is launching a one-year Hospital-Based Massage Therapy (HBMT) Fellowship. This will be the country’s most robust hospital training program for massage therapists and the only program focused primarily on pediatrics, which is an underserved patient population for massage therapy. The UCSF HBMT Fellowship will train up to 10 certified massage therapists in: (1) how to work in hospital settings and on integrative medical teams; (2) how to become a trusted community referral for complex care patients; and (3) how to create new massage therapy (MT) programs at other hospitals. MT fellows will provide massage therapy services within multiple clinical rotations including neonatology, cardiology, oncology, bone marrow transplant, and intensive care. Through this grant, fellowship students will provide approximately 368 sessions (eight patients per week for 46 weeks) of in-chair or private room sessions at the UCSF Benioff Pediatric Infusion Center, where children ages 1-20, with illnesses such as cancer, receive chemotherapy or other transfused/infused therapies.
Promoting MT and Community Professional Physiotherapy in Moshi
Youth in Action against Poverty and HIV/AIDS, Moshi, Tanzania
$5,000
This project aims to empower community members in Moshi with valuable massage therapy skills, fostering personal development and creating opportunities for income generation. This grant supports a three-month training program covering essential massage techniques, anatomy, physiology, and hygiene practices and providing participants with a recognized certification upon completion. The project will educate community members about the physical and mental health benefits of massage therapy by offering free/discounted massage sessions during special events. Data will be collected through surveys and feedback sessions with participants and community members in order to analyze the economic and health impact on trained individuals and the overall community.
Empowering Communities through Therapeutic Touch
Healthy Lifestyle Coaching and Legal Advice Centre, Thohoyandou, Limpopo, South Africa
$4,350.00
This project seeks to deliver therapeutic massage and bodywork services to underserved populations in Limpopo’s Vhembe and Tshwane Districts. By offering accessible and culturally sensitive therapy, it aims to promote wellness, alleviate stress, and improve quality of life for diverse community members, including low-income families, at-risk youth, and survivors of gender-based violence. The initiative will serve approximately 300 individuals, reaching both urban and rural areas, and provide integrated support including legal advice.
About the Massage Therapy Foundation
The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to supporting scientific research, education, and community service within the massage therapy profession. The Foundation publishes an open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal and provides educational resources for massage therapists, educators, and students. MTF fosters international scientific collaboration through grants, resources, training, and services.
For more information contact: add Helen or Marla here for contact
Marla Gamze, Communications/Development Manager, (847)905-1635, mgamze@massagetherapyfoundation.org