The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) announced the funding of five Community Service Grants and one Research Grant for the MTF’s 2011 granting cycle.
Community Service Grants
Tina Allen of Liddle Kidz Foundation in Vancouver, WA, was awarded $5,000 for “Massage Therapy for Orphans in Japan.” This grant was sponsored in part by a gift from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Allen, the founder of Liddle Kidz, will use the MTF grant to educate 16 pediatric massage therapists who will work on children in orphanages in the greater Tokyo area to reduce the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. The massage therapists will also educate the caregivers of the children so treatments can continue when the therapists aren’t present.
Tieasha James of Bee Busy Wellness Center (BBWC) in Houston, was awarded $5,000 for “Touching Lives.” This grant is funded in part by a gift from Biotone. The MTF grant will provide funding to add massage to the offerings of the BBWC with an objective of lowering client’s stress levels while increasing self-awareness and taking initiative for the clients own health.
Fermin Flores of Exodus Transitional Community in Brooklyn, New York, was awarded $5,000 for “Free Fulfillment,” a grant that was sponsored in part by a gift from the Arizona Chapter of AMTA (AMTA-AZ). With this MTF Community Service Grant, Exodus will provide massage therapy services for formerly incarcerated men and women.
Dale Healy, DC, of Northwestern Health Sciences University (NHSU) in Bloomington, MN, was awarded $4,800 for “Integrating Massage with La Clinica de la Mariposa.” This grant is sponsored in part by a gift from Biotone. This grant will provide therapeutic massage to a needy population as well as educate chiropractors about the benefits of integrating massage into their treatment plans.
Ellisa Lee of SAGE Eldercare’s HomeCare Massage Therapy in Summit, NJ, was awarded $5,000 for “Soothing our Senior Clients.” This grant will allow SAGE to expand the benefits of its HomeCare home health aide services to include complementary massage therapy for its clients. Providing massage will aim to the anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia resulting from the many challenges HomeCare clients experience.
Research Grant
For the 2011 Research Grant, the MTF awarded $29,998 to Katharina Wiest, PhD, MSPH, of CODA, Inc. in Portland, OR, for her study “Massage Impact on Chronic Pain in Opioid Dependent Patients." This study will asses the efficacy of Swedish massage techniques on chronic pain in opioid-dependent adult patients receiving methadone treatment.
The Massage Therapy Foundation awards Research Grants of up to $30,000, and Community Service Grants of up to $5,000. The deadline to apply for a Research Grant is March 1, 2013, and the Community Service Grant deadline is April 1, 2013. For the full grant synopses, or to apply for a grant, visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.