Massage Raises Funds for Breast-Cancer Research

Breast cancer affects millions of women in the U.S.: According to the American Cancer Society, about 178,480 American women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2007, and more than 40,000 women will die from the disease this year.

One national massage franchise is fighting back.

Massage for the Cure was created by Massage Envy, a national membership-based massage franchise, to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation, a leading breast-cancer research organization.

Almost $40,000 was raised, and 1,185 donation-only, one-hour massages were provided during Massage for the Cure in Denver, Colorado Springs and surrounding areas, in mid August. The funds were donated to the foundation's Denver and Colorado Springs affiliates.

"We always knew we'd be partnering with some charity that [served] our target audience," Massage Envy CEO and Founder John Leonesio told MASSAGE Magazine, "and Komen kept coming back as one of the best-run organizations we could find." Leonesio added that he feels the foundation is well-run, and "90 percent of the money that is raised stays local, which I like."

Massage for the Cure will take place in the Phoenix metropolitan area in September. Massage for the Cure has also been held in St. Louis, Missouri; in 2008 the event will expand into an additional eight markets, according to a company spokesperson.

—Karen Menehan, MASSAGE Magazine editor-in-chief