Two massage schools received grants of $2,500 apiece for recognition of their community outreach programs.
The BIOTONE Community Outreach Award, established in 2007, rewards two massage therapy schools each year for helping their communities, providing students with unique, hands-on training experiences and advancing public awareness of the value of massage therapy.
BIOTONE is a maker of massage and spa body-care products. The company announced the award recipients on Feb. 25.
The Institute for Therapeutic Massage in Haskell, New Jersey, established an Oncology Massage Program to educate students and the community about oncology massage. The school program provides massage to cancer patients in New Jersey. It also seeks to encourage massage therapists to work with cancer patients.
Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minnesota, under a partnership with the Pillsbury House, a non-profit inner-city neighborhood center, developed an integrative health program to provide care, including massage therapy, for the underserved and economically disadvantaged in South Minneapolis who lack affordable health care.
BIOTONE also administers an Edu-Scholarship fund, which provides school monies to students Edu-Scholarship Fund; the company also regularly funds research projects.