ABMP School Issues Forum

History of the ABMP School Issues Forum

In 1996, a school owner stopped by the ABMP offices for a visit in order to question the staff. She needed guidance on a few issues, but found there was no one she knew in the massage education community who could provide the support she was looking for. ABMP decided to solve this problem with an interactive gathering designed specifically for owners, administrators, and instructors of massage schools. By providing participants with an opportunity to network and share ideas we found that people became both learner and educator. Today the School Issues Forum has evolved into a unique and inspiring meeting of massage school professionals where everyone has the chance to contribute and build the knowledge base of the massage education community.

2012 Austin, Texas
2011 Denver, Colorado
2010 Alexandria, Virginia
2009 Santa Fe, New Mexico
2008 Boulder, Colorado
2007 Boston, Massachusetts
2006 San Francisco, California
2005 Denver, Colorado
2004 Atlanta, Georgia
2003 Santa Fe, New Mexico
2002 Boulder, Colorado
2001 Cleveland, Ohio
2000 Portland, Oregon
1999 Boulder, Colorado
1998 Nashville, Tennessee
1997 Breckenridge, Colorado

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Philosophy and Organization of ABMP's School Issues Forum

The ABMP School Issues Forum philosophy is that each participant has something to teach and each participant has something to learn, and that teaching and learning are more fun in beautiful surroundings with excellent cuisine! To enhance this philosophy, the ABMP School Issues Forum is held annually in interesting locations, at charming hotels, with an eye toward serving a tantalizing menu to ensure participants are satisfied.

Administrators and instructors who participate in the School Issues Forum will be rewarded by the format of this event, as we continue to explore a diversity of session styles. As in years past, content designed for the School Issues Forum is based on the philosophy that participant involvement drives well-structured sessions and encourages the exchange of ideas. A few select sessions are dedicated to speaker presentations, but the majority are offered in a varied format so every participant’s voice can be heard. What participants do not find at this meeting are presentations on particular massage techniques, room for participants to just sit and quietly listen, or internal politics. Many participants have a role in leading, facilitating, or serving as a panelist on at least one topic. The operative words are sharing and exchanging ideas. Because participants are from all across the country, sharing feels comfortable in a way that would be much more difficult in a local forum with owners of programs who compete for students. While topic sessions are thoughtfully organized, the environment is decidedly informal. Participants will return to campus with several tangible takeaways and practical solutions they can incorporate into their program.

The overwhelming success of the inaugural Instructor Training Program at the 2010 School Issues Forum inspired us to offer this special program again. A concurrent day of education dedicated to the diligent instructors who are face-to-face with students in the classroom every day, the Instructor Training Program addresses issues specific to this hardworking and inspiring group. Renowned educators Whitney Lowe and Anne Williams will lead participants through a comprehensive day of education focused on empowering instructors with the skills they need to excel in the classroom. Instructors will explore how to create learning environments that improve student outcomes and will walk away with several concrete tools to utilize immediately with their students.

Session Formats
A variety of format styles are used at ABMP’s School Issues Forum:

Panel Format. Moderators open the session and frame the topic, ask panelists pre-prepared questions, add detail to an answer when appropriate, summarize the session findings, and close the session. Panelists prepare answers to pre-planned questions and comment on other panelist answers when appropriate. After the panelist has given input on the question, the discussion is opened up for comments from the floor. The aim is to involve everyone in each session and get a wide variety of views on each topic.

Facilitated Group Format. In some sessions, a facilitator will frame a topic and then break attendees into small groups to work on a problem or project. Small groups report back to the larger group on their findings and ideas. The facilitator will summarize the group findings.

Interactive Scenario Format. This exchange is based on the feedback our education staff receives while visiting schools across the country. A scenario is presented and participants are broken into groups to discuss the situation. When the groups are ready, they share their findings. At a previous School Issues Forum, participants grappled with scenarios such as “Who Owns the Curriculum?” where attendees explored the perspectives of a teacher and a school owner about ownership of classroom materials. In “The Outsider,” participants discussed ways to increase the inclusiveness on campus and ensure that no student is left out of activities.

Presentation Format. Occasionally a participant with expertise in a particular area will present a topic of relevance to the group or share a new massage development of importance. At the Alexandria, Virginia, Forum in 2010, Ted Havelka, an expert in the art of admissions and enrollment, led a workshop on reaching prospective students and helping them transition successfully into a massage training program. Participants learned practical skills to improve their admissions successes. At the 2008 Forum in Boulder, Colorado, ABMP President Les Sweeney presented information about recent liability claims to help illustrate how schools might reduce liability risks on campus. Plenty of time is left for participants to add to the collective knowledge base with their personal experiences about a given topic.

At the end of each day, administrators and instructors gather to share what they have learned, talk about new ways to improve massage education, and help their schools and students thrive.

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Past ABMP School Issues Forum Reports

Find out more about ABMP’s School Issues Forum by reading reports from past Forums.

> Denver, Colorado, 2011
> Alexandria, Virginia, 2010
> Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2009
> Boulder, Colorado, 2008
> Boston, Massachusetts, 2007

ABMP School Issues Forum 2011--Denver, CO, 2011

The 15th Annual ABMP School Issues Forum was held April 14-16, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Denver’s breathtaking mountain views, vibrant energy, and the charm of the Monaco Hotel provided the backdrop for dynamic discussions and exciting new ideas. In addition to the scheduled sessions attendees enjoyed the Massage Envy reception in the trendy wine room, ABMP dinner catered by the multiple-award-winning Panzano Restaurant and Chef Elise Wiggins, yoga with ABMP Education Program Coordinator and yoga instructor Brian Halterman, and a field trip to visit the ABMP offices in the foothills outside of Denver. This year attendees explored a number of different topics including:

Massage Education: The Long View with The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education
The skills and ethics we teach our students (and how they subsequently practice as therapists) flow from a time-honored tradition. Over the last two decades, massage therapy has grown so quickly in the United States that some believe the profession is in danger of losing touch with its past. In order to preserve integrity, massage therapy education must recall and embrace its roots. Curricula, teachers, and students alike can then be nourished, inspired, and empowered to move this healing art forward. Join the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education for a lively discussion about how honoring our tradition can translate into quality education in your school’s environment.

Online Education in Foundation Curriculum, with Whitney Lowe
A study released by the US Department of Education found that on average, students perform better taking courses online than through face-to-face instruction, and those who take blended courses (which combine both elements) appear to do best of all. Online education expert Whitney Lowe explores online education in relationship to foundational massage curriculum. This informative session looks at the benefits of online education for schools and students, which massage topics are appropriate for online lessons, and achievable first steps for ways schools can move portions of their curriculum online.

Administrator Break Out: What Employers Want from Your Graduates
The ability of a massage training program to place its graduates in massage jobs is key to assuring the school’s business stability. Employers of massage therapists sometimes report a disconnect between their needs and massage graduates’ skills. This panel, comprised of people who employ massage therapists in various aspects of the profession, looks at what employers need from massage school graduates and ways to enhance massage curriculum and graduate placement practices to ensure everyone’s success.

Administrator Break Out: Your Strategic Plan Workshop, with Les Sweeney
Every school can benefit from the process of defining a strategy and direction for its business and making decisions on how to allocate resources to successfully pursue this plan. Strategic planning deals with at least one of four key questions: “What do we do?” “For whom do we do it?” “How do we excel?” and “How do we beat or avoid competition?” ABMP President Les Sweeney shares methods and processes that lead to an effective strategic planning process for schools of all sizes and structures. Expect a dynamic discussion as participants contribute insights and observations from the floor.

Administrator Break Out: Practical and Inspiring Team Building, with Jeff Mann
The challenge of creating a cohesive and effective team is one every organization faces, but the unique nature of a massage school’s faculty and staff makes it especially important for schools to focus energy in this area. A unified team leads to a successful program and enhanced student experience. At the 2010 ABMP School Issues Forum in Alexandria, Virginia, an attendee gave the following feedback: “Jeff Mann brings the human side to business.” This year, ABMP has asked Jeff to bring the human side to team building in this inspiring session that looks at tangible and collaborative ways to improve team dynamics and team performance at your campus.

Instructor Break Out: What Did You Say? Developing Presentations that Leave a Mark, with Whitney Lowe
If you’re a teacher, it’s probably happened to you. You finish a presentation and look around the room to nodding chins, drooping eyelids, or worse: students texting from under the desks. Renowned educator Whitney Lowe provides practical methods and tools to help instructors take their presentations to the next level and effectively engage students with shorter attention spans. Return to your classroom with innovative methods to enhance the way you present your information, interact with your students, and increase material retention.

Instructor Break Out: Creating Change When Change is Difficult, with Anne Williams
Instructors are often the ones to initiate change and inspire growth within a massage school. They lead the way by inspiring new curriculum, developing new community outreach, implementing new procedures like greening their campus, and taking their programs academically to the next level. Motivating positive change within the students is their most important impact of all. Unfortunately, creating meaningful change can be difficult. This session with ABMP Director of Education Anne Williams explores ways to facilitate positive change in ourselves as educators, in our schools, and—most significantly—in classroom dynamics and individual students.

Instructor Break Out: Using Technology Effectively in the Classroom, with Whitney Lowe and Anne Williams
Today’s students spend many hours immersed in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. They peruse websites in order to find information or generate ideas. While technology infiltrates every aspect of modern life, many classrooms have been left behind. This session provides practical advice on the use of instructor websites for learning, the use of social media to engage and communicate with students, benefits and methods for setting up an instructor blog, and the use of collaborative learning tools.

Listen Up Leaders! Leaders in the Profession Respond to Your Concerns and Questions
ABMP has invited leaders from the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB), and the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AMTE) to join ABMP President Les Sweeney in a panel discussion fueled by participants. This is your chance to get the answers you’re looking for directly from leaders in our profession and engage in a lively discussion of relevant topics.

At My School We …
ABMP’s Education Department includes eight staff members dedicated to the needs of massage schools, students, and instructors. This team regularly ventures out to meet with school administrators face-to-face and work with instructors directly at Instructors on the Front Lines teacher training events. What we often hear is the sentence, “At my school, we …” followed by fantastic ideas. This group session provides a space for schools to share their best practices in a way that allows every participant to benefit. Come prepared to share a few of your favorite ideas and be inspired by your incredible colleagues!

Yoga Warm Up, with Brian Halterman
Shake off any morning sluggishness and invigorate yourself for the day with the healthy practice of yoga with ABMP’s Education Program Coordinator and yoga instructor Brian Halterman. Brian will lead the group in gentle physical postures (asanas) and energizing breathing techniques (pranayama) while tuning in to some inspiring Kundalini yoga music. No experience is necessary for this very relaxed class—a great alternative to caffeine! (Yoga mats will be provided. Wear comfortable clothing.)

Handouts and Resources for the Session
> ABMP Online Education in the Entry-Level Curriculum
> At My School We...
> Creating Change When Change is Difficult
> Creating Change form
> Group Recap and Closing
> Presentation Skills
> Rubric Example for a Practical Skill-Set or Integration of Skills
> Rubric Information Sheet
> Teacher Website

ABMP School Issues Forum 2010--Alexandria, Virginia, 2010

ABMP’s 14th annual School Issues Forum took place April 22-24, 2010 in Alexandria, Virginia at the Westin Alexandria hotel. An area rich in tradition, Alexandria was the perfect setting to welcome spring, enjoy the famous cherry blossoms, and share ideas. In 2010, ABMP was excited to launch a parallel program just for instructors and offer NCBTMB-approved continuing education hours to all attendees. This year attendees explored a number of different topics including:

Massage School Curriculum – What’s Next?
In the November/December 2009 issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine the article “Is Swedish Massage Dead?” generated a stir. Schools, professionals, and students sent letters describing their experiences, challenges, and perspective on Swedish massage and Swedish massage training. This session starts with a discussion of the role of Swedish massage in foundation curriculum and expands into the wider topic of what schools are teaching, why they choose to teach the topics they teach, and how curriculum might evolve to better prepare graduates for a career in massage therapy.

Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge Project
The Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) project is a cooperative effort of representatives from the American Massage Therapy Association, the former AMTA-Counsel of Schools, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, Massage Therapy Foundation, and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. The MTBOK Task Force will present its findings to the massage profession at the Massage Therapy Foundation “Highlighting Massage Therapy in CIM Research” conference in Seattle May 13-15, 2010. School Issues Forum attendees learn about the current status of the project and can ask questions of MTBOK Task Force member Kevin Pierce during this session.

Advanced Certification: What’s the Impact?
The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork is working on advanced certification. According to the NCBTMB, the certification will be completely voluntary and build on the educational, experiential, and ethical requirements of national certification. Neal Delaporta, NCBTMB chair, will present the NCBTMB’s vision, than a panel will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and impact of advanced certification on the massage profession.

Building a Better Massage School Business
Massage school leaders must manage a variety of diverse areas to ensure the success of their school businesses. How do school leaders balance the demands of a thriving faculty and education program with financial aid issues, admissions, graduate placement, the need for great branding, marketing, new innovations, expansion, change, and finally, work-life balance? A panel of attendees will tackle this topic and take comments from the floor.

Online Education: What are the Trends?
Noted author and educator, Whitney Lowe, is a massage profession leader in online training for continuing education. In addition, many schools are using online units to teach components of foundation training. Whitney will lead a session where attendees discuss the trends in online education and explore its place in both foundational and continuing education curricula.

Effective Admissions Workshop
Ted Havelka, an expert in the art of admissions and enrollment will lead a workshop on reaching prospective students and helping them transition successfully into a massage training program. Learn practical skills to improve your admissions success and share your ideas with the group.

Comprehensive Orientations: Why You Should Integrate One Now!
Colleges across the country are facing many of the same challenges as massage schools. These challenges include students who are not prepared for the academic nature of post secondary education, sweeping attrition, poor interpersonal and study skills, low grades, and poor critical thinking skills. In this session attendees will review research that demonstrates the value of a comprehensive orientation and explore comprehensive orientation models.

Optional Session: Effective Retention Strategies
We all know the massage school business is more competitive then ever before. Schools invest significant money and time to attract and enroll students. Retaining those students presents some challenges for every school. This session explores tools for building persistence and resilience in massage students so that they have the life-skills they need to overcome challenges and thrive in your program.

ABMP’s School Issues Forum Instructor Program

The instructor program provided massage and bodywork teachers with in-depth information on these topics:

Massage School Curriculum – What’s Next?
In the November/December 2009 issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine the article “Is Swedish Massage Dead?” generated a stir. Schools, professionals, and students sent letters describing their experiences, challenges, and perspective on Swedish massage and Swedish massage training. This session starts with a discussion of the role of Swedish massage in foundation curriculum and expands into the wider topic of what schools are teaching, why they choose to teach the topics they teach, and how curriculum might evolve to better prepare graduates for a career in massage therapy.

Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge Project
The Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) project is a cooperative effort of representatives from the American Massage Therapy Association, the former AMTA-Counsel of Schools, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, Massage Therapy Foundation, and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. The MTBOK Task Force will present its findings to the massage profession at the Massage Therapy Foundation “Highlighting Massage Therapy in CIM Research” conference in Seattle May 13-15, 2010. School Issues Forum attendees learn about the current status of the project and can ask questions of MTBOK Task Force member Kevin Pierce during this session.

Advanced Certification: What’s the Impact?
The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork is working on advanced certification. According to the NCBTMB, the certification will be completely voluntary and build on the educational, experiential, and ethical requirements of national certification. Neal Delaporta, NCBTMB chair, will present the NCBTMB’s vision, than a panel will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and impact of advanced certification on the massage profession.

Understanding Adult Learners
Today’s massage classrooms are comprised of students from three generations – baby boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y – with distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits, and motivations. In addition, students come from different cultural and economic backgrounds. By understanding the diversity of our classrooms we can plan classroom activities that create the optimal environment for all adult learners and help them build the capacity they need to be successful students and professionals.

Teaching Higher Order Thinking
When you teach tools that help adult learners build their high-order thinking skills you prepare them to think critically and creatively. To teach higher-order thinking instructors must have a solid understanding of learning objectives, and recognize methods that facilitate meaningful reflection, thought, and sharing. This session explores ways to build these skills in adult learners.

Building Intrinsic Motivation in Adult Learners
“This is boring!” “This is stupid!” “Why do I need to know this?” We have all heard these plaintive cries from students and it makes us wonder, “Why does it seem like students don’t care?” This session looks at the reasons students don’t care and helps of employ new strategies to engage them. The result can be better motivated students and happier teachers.

Comprehensive Orientations: Why You Should Integrate One Now!
Colleges across the country are facing many of the same challenges as massage schools. These challenges include students who are not prepared for the academic nature of post secondary education, sweeping attrition, poor interpersonal and study skills, low grades, and poor critical thinking skills. In this session attendees will review research that demonstrates the value of a comprehensive orientation and explore comprehensive orientation models.

Optional Session: Effective Retention Strategies
We all know the massage school business is more competitive then ever before. Schools invest significant money and time to attract and enroll students. Retaining those students presents some challenges for every school. This session explores tools for building persistence and resilience in massage students so that they have the life-skills they need to overcome challenges and thrive in your program.

Download handouts from ABMP’s School Issues Forum, 2010
Highlights of the 2010 Forum: an Admissions webinar with Ted Havelka
Highlights of the 2010 Forum, a webinar with Whitney Lowe

ABMP School Issues Forum 2009--Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2009

ABMP’s 13th annual School Issues Forum took place March 25-27, 2009 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa. The invitation-only event included school owners, directors, and key members of the massage and bodywork community. Attendees enjoyed an opportunity to network, educate, inspire, and talk shop with peers about school issues. Fifty participants from across the country—representing approximately 130 schools—discussed issues impacting massage and bodywork schools, and enjoyed Santa Fe’s southwestern culture.

Handouts from the Forum sessions are accessible electronically.
Read a complete overview of the ABMP School Issues Forum 2009.

ABMP School Issues Forum--Boulder, Colorado, 2008

Fifty-five participants from across the country took part in ABMP’s 12th annual School Issues Forum. Held in Boulder, Colorado, at the St. Julien Hotel & Spa, the event provided an opportunity for school owners, administrators, instructors, and massage professionals to share ideas, best practices, opinions, and innovations. Nestled at the foot of the Flatiron Mountains, the environment of the St. Julien boasts sunshine, views of the stunning Colorado landscape, and access to the lively nightlife of Boulder.

At the School Issues Forum, attendees are encouraged to participate fully by sharing perspectives during panel discussions and interactive scenarios. This year, attendees explored a number of different topics including:

Compare and Contrast: You vs. Other Massage Schools. This session discussed the criteria by which a school can judge itself as thriving or struggling and looked at standards a school can use to compare itself to other schools and identify strengths and weaknesses.

Successful Orientation. Panel members discussed ways to create a great beginning for new students and prepare them for the challenges of massage school while promoting bonding with classmates, teachers, and staff.

Classroom Liability. “Claims do happen,” noted ABMP President Les Sweeney, who shared some real-life examples of massage school claims to highlight ways to manage risk on a massage campus.

Managing Instructors. This attendee panel shared ideas for evaluating and coaching instructors to help them reach their full potential as educators.

Diversity in Massage. Attendees discussed why the field of massage is not as diverse as it might be, and explored ways to reach out to new prospective student populations to build greater campus diversity.

The Student Clinic: Balancing Business with Learning. In this session, the panel looked at the reasons why some student clinics provide wonderful learning opportunities for students while others offer little in the way of developmental education. Attendees shared ideas for how schools can balance the financial benefit or necessity of a successful clinic against student needs.

Teaching Massage: The rapid growth of the massage school industry has led to a marked shortage of well-seasoned massage instructors. Massage textbook publisher Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins has teamed up with ABMP to create a new resource for schools and massage program instructors. Anne Williams, ABMP’s Education Program Director, introduced attendees to the textbook launching in August 2008 called Teaching Massage: Fundamental Principles in Adult Education for Massage Program Instructors. The project brings together an extraordinary group of 17 respected teachers. Many of these educators--like Mary Ann Foster, Mary Kathleen Rose, Rick Rosen, Carey Smith, Diana Thompson, and Ruth Werner, who were present at the forum--shared stories about their chapters and educational experiences.

While attendees always enjoy the chance to communicate their thoughts about massage school issues, they also enjoy the great food and opportunity to build new connections and friendships. On Thursday night, ABMP hosted a reception and dinner. Breaks this year were sponsored by Massage Envy and Elements Therapeutic Massage and featured a yogurt, fruit, and granola parfait to die for. On Friday night, attendees enjoyed the happy hour sponsored by Books of Discovery (publisher of Trail Guide to the Body by Andrew Biel) at Bacaro’s Venetian Taverna, where they delighted in grilled artichokes with basil aioli, and spinach and ricotta dumplings. One Forum attendee said, “I consider the Forum ‘spirit food,’” while another noted, “I always come for the food.” Whether you want great ideas, to network with great people, or to enjoy great food in a great location, the Forum delivers a healthy serving of inspiration.

ABMP School Issues Forum--Boston, Massachusetts, 2007

The eleventh annual ABMP School Issues Forum was held in Boston on October 18-20, 2007. The forum promotes an environment where attendees offer insights, experience, and knowledge. The goal: interactive dialogue. A moderator prepares questions for panelists, then allows participants to drive each session. School owners and administrators participated in sessions including “Building Resilience and Persistence in Massage Students,” “Operating an Ethical Program,” and “The Leadership Role at Your School.” Details of a forum session on using the arts in massage classrooms are provided in The ABMP School Connection (Volume 5, Number 4).

Dawnette Cabalona of the Steiner Education Group of schools moderated a discussion on generating leads. Should a school work every lead, no matter the quality? Some said yes, others no. Objectors noted the staff time required for follow-up and the importance of focusing on leads likely to enroll. Lead generation ideas included online marketing, school open house events, high school career fairs, graduate referral programs, and activities that increase the school’s community profile. One participant highlighted that “school personnel are the school’s best ambassadors.” Finally, participants discussed methods to track leads and whether to track how many leads convert to applications, enrolled students, or program graduates.

ABMP President Les Sweeney reported on trends impacting schools and the massage profession, based on data from ABMP surveys. One finding notes that 52 massage schools have closed over the past two years; a total of approximately 1,596 massage programs currently operate nationally.

Debra Persinger, executive director of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) shared results from the FSMTB Career Patterns Survey. The survey looked at the loyalty and satisfaction professionals have toward their field. Another survey, the FSMTB’s Job Task Analysis, provides the most comprehensive insight to date into the activities performed by massage professionals; it is available for review at www.fsmtb.org. Persinger also discussed the FSMTB’s Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx), launched on October 1, 2007.

Diana Thompson, president of the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF; www.massagetherapyfoundation.org), moderated a session of research literacy in massage schools, featuring panelists Andrew Biel and Cliff Korn. Fresh from the Fascia Research Congress, held October 4–5, 2007, in Boston, Thompson shared research that may change thinking about the body in the massage profession. She provided an overview of research literacy and shared the Massage Therapy Foundation’s mission to advance “the knowledge and practice of massage by supporting scientific research, education, and community service.” Discussion focused on how to improve the quality of curricula with evidence-based materials.

Participants were also treated to a bit of fun: the Boston Duck Tour, sponsored by Natural Healers and ABMP. Participants boarded a renovated World War II amphibious landing vehicle for a tour through Boston’s streets and a dynamic splash into the Charles River.

On the final day of the forum, ABMP Chairman Bob Benson presented $20,000 in honor of ABMP’s 20th anniversary, with $10,000 checks going to both the FSMTB and the MTF to support their efforts.

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