Anytime that we approach the end of a decade there is a period of introspection of the good and the bad. As I look over the last decade of activity in the AMTA, there are so many highpoints for the organization and the massage field overall.
We can talk about the educational changes where we’ve seen a decrease in the number of in state massage schools to more entry level hours, a required clinical component, and the start of the state’s first Associate in Massage Therapy educational program. We’ve developed award winning Community Service and Sports teams. We’ve seen the demise of NERC and the rise of our very own CT Conference. If you haven’t been, its about two months away! The continuing education is amazing and offered at amazing prices!
In terms of licensing and legal matters, we’ve seen requirements that help to reduce the association of human trafficking with massage, professional liability insurance requirements, a new licensing exam in the form of the MBLEx, and recognition on a federal level of the benefits of massage for pain management. Our legislative team is hard at work campaigning against a proposed law requiring taxation for our services (PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!) and we have become highly visible with the Legislative awareness day.
On a membership level, we have just as many highlights. As of February 2019, we have 2478 members! We currently have almost 40 members that have been involved with the AMTA for over 30 years! Listed below are those who have been involved for 30 or more years. How many of these chapter members do you know?
| Wendy Billings Mary Bilyak Lydia Brewster Anne Buchalski Victoria Carmona Shirley Cooper Kathleen Crewdson Keith Curry Raymond DuBois Rosalie Dunn Karen Emerick Sharon Farber Katharine Forline Martha Griffin Ann Gruenberg Susan Hanrahan David Hoff Virginia Hofrichter Deanna Jackson Charlotte Johnson |
Sarah Keleher Susan Klaus Linda Lane Susan Lourie William McKnight Karen Parker Wendy Payton Janice Schwartz Suzanne Sieff Mary Sires Shari Specland Deborah Testa Richard Testa Charis Tondreau Brenda Troutman Marya Ursin Marion Visel Bonita Weisman Nancy Yerinides |
We’ve certainly had some amazing experiences! Thanks to all of you for being you and making our chapter what it has become and what it will become! If you don’t know the members listed above or those of us who haven’t managed 30 years of membership yet, the April conference is a great place to start. Hope to see you all there!
By Jeff Shuman, Membership Chair