2018 Successful Hands Grant Program Winners Announced

successful-hands-grantPerformance Health and Massage Envy Franchising, LLC are pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Successful Hands Grant Program. The program, a five-year collaboration between two industry leaders, supports professional massage therapy students by awarding eight $1,000 educational grants. In addition, each winner’s school receives a $1,000 grant package. Applicants were asked to complete a 200-word essay on “What is your motivation for becoming a massage therapist.” The program was launched last February and over 960 applications were received before it closed on October 15, 2018.

“Our mission at Performance Health is help people feel good, perform better and live their best,” said Craig Hall, Director of Sales, Massage and Spa, Performance Health. “And one of the ways we do this is by partnering with other great organizations like Massage Envy. This grant initiative aligns well with both organizations’ goals to support the next generation of massage therapists and ensure the profession’s continued growth and success.”

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The 2018 program recipients were announced in a video message today on the Successful Hands Grants and Massage Envy Careers Facebook pages and are listed below:

  • Lindsey Barra, Phoenix School of Massage, Houston, TX
  • Lauren Birk, National Holistic Institute, Studio City, CA
  • Michelle Lowdermilk, Kneaded Energy School of Massage, Greensboro, NC
  • Sebastian Stratton-Clarke, National Holistic Institute, Emeryville, CA
  • Rebeca Torres-Rose, Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy, Albany, NY
  • Linnea Van Pelt, Kneaded Energy School of Massage, Greensboro, NC
  • Grace Wojdak, Denver Integrative Massage School, Denver, CO
  • Ariela Yomtovian, McKinnon Body Therapy Center, Oakland, CA

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Massage therapists and their passionate commitment to helping others feel their best are at the heart of the Massage Envy brand’s mission,” said Joe Magnacca, CEO of Massage Envy Franchising, LLC. “We are committed to creating opportunities through education for massage therapists to find success and build fulfilling, life-long careers. We’re honored to continue to support the Successful Hands Grant program and we’re grateful to the selection committee and the time and careful consideration they gave to selecting this year’s winners from among all the wonderful submissions received this year.”

2018 review committee members:

  • Scott Dartnall, President and CEO, One Concept
  • Julie Keller Callaghan, Editor-in-Chief & Publisher, American Spa
  • Mae Manacap-Johnson, Content Marketing Editor for Design Uno Marketing Agency Boutique
  • Michelle Medaris, Associate Editor, Massage Today
  • Karen Menehan, Editor in Chief–Print & Digital of MASSAGE Magazine

“We can’t wait to see what our 2018 winners accomplish and we look forward to kicking off the 2019 Successful Hands Grant Program in the new year,” concluded Craig. “Be part of our Facebook community to stay up to date on all the launch details.”

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