The Massage Pundit

Massage therapists are tireless volunteers. They show up to massage hospice patients, do chair massage or hold benefits at the drop of a hat to raise money for some worthy cause, and generally are just a giving bunch of people.

Volunteers are also one of the backbones of this profession, especially when it comes to serving on a state board or serving one of our national organizations.

AMTA couldn’t run without volunteers. The NCBTMB could not survive without volunteers. State boards couldn’t serve the public interest without volunteers.  COMTA can’t do site visits without volunteers. People volunteer to be delegates to the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. The good folks of Puerto Rico volunteered to translate the MBLEx into Spanish, saving the Federation thousands of dollars. I expect the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education will be recruiting some volunteers at their first annual meeting next month.

Volunteers don’t have any monetary incentive for what they do. It’s not for the fame and the glory…speaking from personal experience, anyone working for any of the organizations is a target for criticism, when the organization itself is under fire. The time expenditure can be big, and the rewards can be small. So why do it at all?

Do it because your talents are needed. Do it because it’s giving back to your community and your profession. Do it because it will be a learning experience. Do it because you can. Do it because it’ll look good on your resume. Do it because no one else will. Just do it.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen