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 May 2010
Mike Blackmore, AMTA-OR President
LMT #6637
Spring in Western Oregon arrives when cold rainy days
slowly turn to . . warm rainy days, sprinkled (pun
intended) with a little sun. For some of us that may mean
our busy winter client base visits us a little less often,
and we get a little respite. For others, the warm weather
athletes and outdoor enthusiasts begin to punish
themselves and our phone starts ringing. Some of us
continue to steadily work with our clients without much of
a pace change.
Regardless of your niche, it is important to manage your
business ethically or work for someone else with the
highest of integrity. The AMTA-OR June class brings us
Patty Glenn, former Executive Director of OBMT to discuss
a variety of ethical business topics and regulatory issues
the board has encountered during her tenure. She will be
speaking at Oregon School of Massage in Salem on Sunday
June 13 from 1-4pm. I hope to see you there. The chapter
board will conduct its public meeting beginning at 10am,
followed by lunch and networking.
A wonderful group of LMTs and massage students from Lane
Community College worked together at the finish line of
the Eugene Marathon May 2, providing free 10 minute
post-event massages for almost 6 hours. Donations were
collected to support local high school cross country, and
the response for free massage was beyond expectations. The
running community was grateful for the service, we made
great connections for future opportunities, and I
overheard a fellow AMTA member refer an out-of-towner to
the AMTA “find-a-therapist” link on the national website.
There are some who feel we shouldn’t give away our
services. While I agree with that statement, I also
believe that opportunities to communicate the phrase “AMTA
massage therapist” will pay dividends in the future. Our
fellow members in other states provide the same service to
us on a regular basis. Most importantly, we shared the
experience with future therapists who worked with eyes
wide open to the “scary world of muscle spasm”.
If you love baseball and hanging out with other LMT’s,
join us August 15 for a Portland Beaver game! The chapter
has purchased 75 tickets and food for AMTA-OR. Last year’s
tickets were snapped up immediately, food went fast and
many missed out on a good time. 3rd VP Carole Ann Carnese
is our fun-director this year. Send her an email if you
wish to help or have any questions regarding the event.
Her article in this newsletter provides more details.
I will be attending the National Board Meeting in St
Louis, Missouri on June 5. The various chapter Presidents
and board members that met in Evanston in March will meet
again to continue our efforts to help the national BOD in
planning the long-term future of massage and AMTA. This is
a humbling challenge, and I am honored to represent the
Oregon members of our organization. I believe we are
fortunate to work in a state with the massage laws we
operate under, while some states continue to struggle with
laws that effect public perception. Thank you again for
giving me this wonderful opportunity.
Mike |
