Eight Massage Therapy Students Win 2017 Successful Hands Grants

Eight massage therapy students were announced as winners of the 2017 Successful Hands Grant Program recently, each of which were awarded a $1000 educational grant. The program, a collaborative effort between Biofreeze, Massage Envy, and Bon Vital, also awarded the schools of each winner with a $1,000 grant package.

“We are always grateful for the opportunity to invest in the future of the massage therapy profession, and this program is one of my favorite ways to do so,” says Marshall Dahneke, chief commercial officer of Performance Health, the parent company of Biofreeze, Bon Vital, and a number of other industry brands. “Once again, we are impressed by the high level of professionalism and passion exhibited by the participating students. I am excited and honored to announce this year’s winners.”

Submissions for the program opened back in February of 2017, when interested students were asked to write a 200-word essay on what being a successful massage therapist meant to them. The submission process brought in over 600 applications before it closed in October.

The 2017 program recipients were announced in a video message earlier this week on the Successful Hands Grants and Massage Envy Careers Facebook pages. The winners and their respective schools are listed below:

  • Desserin Custodio, National Holistic Institute, Studio City, CA
  • Paul Howey, Cortiva Institute, Scottsdale, AZ 
  • Annemarie Juntunen, Pittsburgh School of Massage Therapy, Pittsburgh, PA 
  • Bailey Mathews, National Holistic Institute, Sacramento, CA 
  • Joanne Nastri, Inland Massage Institute, Spokane, WA
  • Cynthia Nelson, Northwestern Health Sciences University, Bloomington, MN 
  • Tresca Pennington, School of Massage at Kneaded Energy, Greensboro, NC
  • Annie Seward, Central Florida School of Massage Therapy, Winter Park, FL 

Check out the announcement video below:

Comprising the 2017 judges committee was Scott Dartnall, president and CEO, One Concept; Mae Mancap-Johnson, senior editor, Pulse; Karen Menehan, editor in chief, Massage Magazine; Michelle Medaris, associate editor, Massage Today; and Leslie Young, Associated Massage & Bodywork Professionals, vice president of communication.

“We can’t wait to see what the 2017 winners accomplish and we look forward to kicking off the 2018 Successful Hands Grant Program next month,” says Lynda Solien-Wolfe, vice president massage and spa, Performance Health. “Be part of our Facebook community to stay up to date on all the launch details.”  

Follow the grant program at www.Facebook.com/SuccessfulHandsGrants

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