Update

Just an update on what's going on...

  A note from Julie Bunnel, the colleague we have been raising money for who had emergency brain surgery on a mass (that thankfully was found to be benign!) earlier this month:
  Hi all, I'm sill doing great! I get stronger every day, and in less pain from the sutures every day. I just got to my parents home in Lake Havasu, AZ yesterday. And I will be here for the rest of april. I feel kinda epicly lazy, but I am trying to not over do it and build up my strength gradually. As far as how I am doing, I am just so incredibly happy! I still can't stop smiling. To live in a time when someone can use a machine to look inside your brain, and say, "hey look! You have something in there! We are just going to cut that sucker out." I can't really get over my joy. :-) Thank you, so much for your prayers and EVERYTHING! xoxo Julie

  Julie's fundraiser is open until the end of April. So far $7,800 has been raised. Woohoo! However, Julie is still in recovery and out of work, and the bills will be coming in the mail soon, so please consider donating to the cause! Here is the link: http://www.gofundme.com/2hf79k There is also info there on where to send a check if you prefer.

   Also, remember our Art Auction coming up on May 12th! Do you have a creative side? Consider donating an art or craft to the auction! The forms are on our website. If you're one of those people who spend hours on Pinterest pinning projects you'll accomplish "someday", then this auction gives you the chance to skip all the hard work and "pinterest fails" and buy some great handmade decor from your computer! Save the date on your calendar, or better yet, join the event page on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/502332409818198/

Hope to (virtually) see you there!

Call To Action: MT Needs Emergency Brain Surgery

   Julie Bunnel is a massage therapist from Kansas who is in need of immediate brain surgery. She thought she had the flu, started getting migraines, then seizures, and now needs emergency surgery. She is only 27 years old, loves to volunteer, and is always helping others. It is our turn to help her! Julie is self-employed and is without health insurance, so within minutes off finding out Julie needed surgery, Massage Without Borders set up a virtual funding account to help pay for her upcoming medical bills and treatment.

Here is the link: http://www.gofundme.com/2hf79k

   Remember, every dollar counts! Anything you can give will make a difference. Also on the GoFundMe page will be updates on Julie and how she is doing and see how much we have raised so far; as I am writing this we have already raised over $2,500 towards her bills, but there is still a ways to go before we meet our goal. Please consider donating any amount you can. Maybe today instead of grabbing that coffee and bagel on the way to work you can donate that money to a good cause instead! Check back on the funding page and our twitter account (@helpMTs) for updates on Julie throughout the next few days.

Thank You from all of us at MWB!

and to Julie...we are all sending you healing thoughts and prayers!

Exciting Announcement

    We are pleased to announce that MWB has been nominated for and won the Aunty Margaret Humanitarian Award! This award is to be presented to us at the World Massage Festival this August on the Queen Mary in California. Vice President Kathy J Burley will be accepting the award on behalf of MWB.

    In other news, we are now welcoming donations for the Artistry E-Auction that takes place in May. You can find the information and application from on our website. This is a great opportunity to explore your creative side while helping us raise more funds! You can fill out the application here.

Accomplishments and What's Next!

   Here at MWB, thanks to our board, our volunteers, and everyone who has helped with the fundraising that has gone on, we have made some great strides to help healers in need. To date, over $18,000 in equipment, gift cards, food baskets, and funds has been raised. $4000 of those funds were distributed to colleagues in cash. It has been a pleasure being able to give supplies, food, hope, and encouragement to these wonderful people who deserve it; and it doesn't stop at Sandy. Everyday there are practitioners struggling with their business and students struggling with their tuition and we can be the ones to help them. So, even though we have come so far, we still have the road ahead of us; there is always more we can do, more YOU can do, and when you think about how many smiles we have brought to people's faces in the short time Massage Without Borders has been in place, and how many smiles there are still to give out, well it just makes you want to work that much harder.
   By volunteering with MWB, you aren't just helping to change the lives of those affected by disaster, you are helping change your own as well. There is no better feeling than the feeling of giving from the heart, whether it is time, money, or support. Give anything, in any form, and your body, mind, and soul will thrive with the positive energy attached to it. Not sure where to start? Contact a board member or another volunteer from your region and see where your skills can be used. Everyone can do something. You have the energy within you to help therapists all over who are sending out an SOS...all you need to do is guide it.

 

Compass Spa in NJ with MWB President William Fee receiving their $3000 check, two massage tables, and supplies.

  So what's next for Massage Without Borders? Well we have an Artistry E-Auction and our big National Event coming up! The Artistry E-Auction will have a variety of wares and decor to bid on and is open to donations from anyone, not just MT's, all you have to do is fill out the form on the MWB website. The Auction will happen online from May 12-18 and all proceeds will go towards the "Adoption" campaigns.

  The National Event will be taking place May 20-25 in schools and businesses across the nation. These businesses will be spreading the word about our cause and raising money. There are prizes for the school or business who brings in the most donations. If you are interested in being a part of this, fill out the Participation form on our website. All proceeds will go to the Adopt a Student campaign for scholarships. 

  Mark those dates on your calendars! If you would like more information about either event, just go to our Facebook page and click on the Events tab. The links are in the contact information at the bottom of the blog. We hope you can participate!

Thank you BonVital for sponsoring our $1000 scholarship!

Welcome

    Welcome to the Massage Without Borders blog! Here we will be posting news on all the happenings within MWB including info on fundraisers and how we are helping our MT colleagues, so make sure you subscribe to our posts (the button is on the bottom of the page) so you can follow us on our journey to help our healers in need!

    Remember, just as it "takes a village to raise a child", it also takes a lot of dedicated people to help us grow and progress, and everyone involved matters. So whether you are sharing our event posters on Facebook, making a donation, starting a fundraiser in your town, or just telling your friends and colleagues about us, YOU are making a difference in helping us help others, for even the smallest step forward still leaves an imprint.
 
    If you have any questions, know a bodyworker in need, or would like to get involved as a volunteer, you can find our contact information on the bottom left corner of this page; feel free to contact us and our board of directors will help you in any way they can! Also, make sure you visit our website at massagewithoutborders.org, and give us a "like" on Facebook!