Joining the Massage Matters Giving Club: A Trustee’s Point of View

Posted:Wednesday, December 14, 2016

By MTF Trustee Brent Jackson, M.Ed., BS, LMT

I cannot imagine a better way for massage therapists or massage therapy educators in this generation to help future generations than by funding massage therapy research. It will be a crucial key to their education and understanding of the value of massage therapy.

If we are going to pass a torch then let us ignite a larger torch to pass on. Donating to the Massage Therapy Foundation provides many facets of satisfaction for me. Two elements that are always prioritized in my life are a need to be a great humanitarian and the need to find measures that support the use of the profession that I am in – massage therapy. Indirectly, funding research that supports the massage therapy profession, secures the massage therapy profession’s future in interdisciplinary settings. I think massage research matters because the research findings can guide and mold our profession. I want to be a part of that. Researching is not a talent of mine, but I know I can donate and the Massage Therapy Foundation will allocate that money to qualified researchers. The ability to donate to the Massage Therapy Foundation, an organization with the mission to promote massage research, gives massage therapists a voice and the ability to fund massage therapy research instead of hoping that other non-massage organizations possibly see our value. The mission of the Massage Therapy Foundation is to fund, support and collect data that promotes massage therapy.

Most of us have a yearning to be philanthropists and make the world a better place. Giving monthly to the MTF and being a part of the newly created Massage Matters Giving Club works out for me because I can enroll in ANY amount that fits my budget and I will not have to worry about forgetting to send a donation. The monthly donation option allows me to select an amount that I will not miss as much, compared to a larger amount made in one check. A small donation made each month adds up after twelve months. One aspect that I am most pleased with regard to the Foundation is their community service granting program for non-profit organizations. These grants are reaching populations with hardworking therapists providing the positive attributes of touch. There are months when I get busy and cannot get as involved with humanitarian projects, so knowing that my donations help fund massage grants for medically fragile children, veterans, abuse victims and other deprived populations helps me to materialize my goals of at least being part of daily positive change in this world.

My recent discovery that anyone can make a donation to the Foundation dedicated to another person has me elated also because I know that my friends and family can donate in my honor in lieu of holiday gifts, birthdays or even to honor a recently fallen massage therapist colleague. I will leave you with my favorite Maya Angelou quote: “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

You can find out more about the Massage Matters Giving Club here.