School's Big Heart Benefits Charities

Blue Sky School of Professional Massage and Therapeutic Bodywork, which has three campuses in Wisconsin, is in the habit of donating money and massages to nonprofit organizations.

Blue Sky students recently completed a massage marathon for charity. At the Grafton campus, 14 students massaged 50 clients. At the De Pere/Green Bay campus, 22 students massaged 60 clients. The event raised $4,275, which the school donated to Paul's Pantry, the Bay Area Humane Society, Family Sharing of Ozaukee County, Pineview Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, the Humane Animal Welfare Society and Homes & Hearts for Kitties.

"These charities are near and dear to the heart and mission of Blue Sky," the school's Director of Operations Dawn Koller told MASSAGE Magazine. "Blue Sky works locally and globally to help the less fortunate, whether it be with emotional support, [or] educational or monetary contributions. Besides supporting organizations that help women and children and families, animals are high on our priority list as they are often forgotten."

The school holds a massage marathon each year, at the of October, in conjunction with National Massage Therapy Awareness Week—but its giving is not limited to the annual event.

"We donate gift certificates for massages to more than 20 charities each year," Koller said. "These charities use the gift certificates as raffle items, door prizes, and to raise money for their organizations."

—Karen Menehan