Massage therapists and bodyworkers from across the country came together for ABMP’s EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week this summer to help spread the word of therapeutic touch, and to offer it to those who need it most. Here is a short recap of some of the good work that took place.

Cynthia Willett, from Smyrna, Tennessee, had the right idea: “First, I went and got a massage. Then, I spent the next two days giving complimentary 15-minute massages to the caregivers and other staff at a local hospice. This turned out to be a good business-builder, too!”

The Institute of Therapeutic Massage, in Lima, Ohio, created a win-win for the community. Students from the school gave 5-minute chair massage to members of the Lima Rotary Club and accepted $5 donations for the rotary’s scholarship fund.
Cath Cox, from Centennial, Colorado, gave a 60-minute gift certificate to every client that week with the stipulation that the certificate must be given away. “I emailed all my clients about 10 days before the event and filled every opening!”

Carrie Collins, from Lawrence, Kansas, offered free chair massage at five different local charities.

Monica Malcome Hanson, from Illinois, gave gift certificates to her local police department.

Crestone Massage, in Crestone, Colorado, sponsored an onsite massage event, donating all  proceeds to the Crestone Food Bank.
Megan Spence, from Brooklyn, New York, created a Good Person Massage Giveaway, asking others to nominate a person who was doing good work—“your favorite activist, volunteer, advocate, tireless worker, shoulder to cry on, friend”—to receive a free massage.

New Life Massage and Bodyworks, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, donated massages to a women’s and children’s shelter, and collected donations for the local food bank.

IntelliTec College, in Pueblo, Colorado, offered free mini massages at City Park to those who might not be able to afford it and to those who may never have tried it before.