Massage Therapy Foundation Announces 2016 Community Service Grantees

Posted:Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Massage Therapy Foundation Announces
2016 Community Service Grantees

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) is pleased to announce the funding of four Community Service Grants for the 2016 granting cycle:

Massage Therapy for Immigrant Survivors
Organization: Program for Torture Victims
Project Leader: Carol Gomez

Program for Torture Victims (PTV) is located in Los Angeles, CA and was founded in 1980 to address the complex psycho-social and health needs of survivors of political torture. For the past 35 years, PTV has provided comprehensive services to immigrant survivors of political torture living in the southern California area.

The organization has helped survivors from torture from over 70 countries across the globe and experienced complex trauma ranging from trafficking to domestic violence. With this grant, PTV will offer therapeutic massage services to help bring relief to the suffering of the torture victims. The provision of massage therapy will help alleviate pain, reduce muscle tension, decrease stress, and help people regain connection with their body.

Monday Massage for Veterans
Organization: Clear Path for Veterans Wellness
Project Leader: Char Marx

Recognizing the responsibility of communities to help those who serve in the military, Clear Path for Veterans empowers service members, Veterans, and their families through supportive programs and services in a safe, respectful environment. Clear Path for Veterans is fully accessible for Veterans with mobility limitations.

The Massage Therapy Foundation funding will facilitate a demonstration project to help Veterans who have participated in programs at Clear Path for Veterans, and access services in their home communities. Massage Monday for Veterans will offer a package of two one-hour massage experiences to Veterans in Central New York to address issues of stress, pain, anxiety and/or difficulty sleeping. Massage Monday for Veterans participants will be identified through outreach efforts from the existing Clear Path Wingman, Peer Mentor, and Dogs2Vets programs.

“The Monday Massage Program is an opportunity for veterans to experience the healing benefits of massage. It also encourages them to pursue the offerings within their community,” said Char Marx, RN, Wellness Director at Clear Path for Veterans.

Massage Therapy for Medically Fragile Children
Organization: Maryville, Children’s Healthcare
Project Leader: Shawn Pickett

The Maryville Children’s Healthcare Center (CHC) treats medically fragile, technology-dependent infants and children who need hospital-to-home transitional care or palliative and hospice care. The CHC offers individualized care and crucial parental training in specialized child care in a homelike environment. The care combines traditional medical care with alternative medicine approaches to relieve pain, enhance comfort and facilitate healing. The Massage Therapy for Medically Fragile Children program is designed to improve the overall well-being of CHC pediatric patients as well as supplement the traditional allopathic medical and nursing care.

This alternative therapy program was implemented in the spring of 2014. The impact of stress and how it is addressed continues to be elucidated in physiological health and community health research. The use of alternative therapies to complement traditional western medicine has grown alongside the increase in the numbers of medically fragile children with special health care needs.

Shawn Pickett, RN, BSN, MHA, said, “I am especially ecstatic about our children’s health center being awarded this wonderful community service grant from the Massage Therapy Foundation.
The opportunity to continue incorporating massage therapy and its valuable health benefits for our medically fragile children is exiting for everyone here at Maryville.”

This grant is sponsored in part by a gift from Biotone.

Massage and Burn Scar Therapy for Burn Survivors in the New England Area
Organization: HandReach
Project Leader: Brecken Chinn, PhD

HandReach is a network of compassionate professionals dedicated to improving quality of life for burn and trauma survivors. HandReach works at the acute, reconstructive, and psychosocial levels to help individuals debilitated by severe burns and amputations return to full function and a productive future.

With this grant the organization, in partnership with the Massage and Burn Scar Therapy Foundation, will provide massage and burn scar therapy to underserved burn survivors in the New England area who might otherwise not be able to afford treatment. Financial hardship is often caused when people are out of work during their recovery, not being able to return to work; or permanently disabled.

This grant is sponsored in part by a gift from Biotone.