FALL 2019 AMTA IOWA Chapter Newsletter

 FALL 2019 AMTA IOWA Chapter Newsletter

#amtaiowa

#iloveamtaiowa

Well another convention has come and gone and what a convention it was. Ralph Stephens gave a great presentation on medical massage to 120 attendees. I would like to say thank you to Ralph Stephens again for coming and presenting for our members one last time. With 8 vendors participating at the convention and 20 more donating gifts for giveaways, this was an amazing convention in Coralville, Iowa.

I can’t wait to see everyone at our spring convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  March 21-22, 2020 with our presenter James Waslaski.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this fall convention happen, it was truly appreciated.

We were super excited to welcome Iowa own Ralph Stephens to Coralville this past September. I was amazed by how Ralph, even tho he had just flew in from Denmark, was full of energy and had the attendees engaged as soon as he walked in!

We had over 120 attendees that welcomed Ralph that weekend. Ralph has an outstanding resume however that does not even begin to explain the pure enthusiasm of his class. As we read the reviews on his class it was confirmed how happy everyone was.

I cannot thank everyone, especially Ralph, for their participation and enthusiasm. If you are ever able to take some of Ralph’s classes I encourage you to do so. Iowa is very lucky to have him! Thank you all.
Holly Rasmusson

AMTA National informed Karen that a voting board member cannot be the Commission on Candidacy. Seeking a non-voting board member to step into role for March elections.

Open positions for spring 2020 are President, Board Member 2, Secretary, Delegate.

Online elections are also a possibility. Chapter may need to be clear with newsletter deadlines so all can read about candidates and vote online prior to March Convention.

Education Chair:
Job Fair announced for Carlson College on Thursday November 21 at 3:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Karen Sindelar

Government Relations News

We contracted with Advocacy Strategies again this year for our lobbyist. Threase Harms, owner of Advocacy Strategies, came and spoke at our fall convention business meeting. We encourage each of you to continue to build a relationship with your local legislators. As we get closer to the 2020 legislative session, keep a close eye on your inbox.

We will be emailing out all of the important information again this year. We will be holding our 3rd annual Lobby Day at the Capitol on February 4, 2020 from 11:30am-1:30pm. If you are interested in joining us for this event, please email me to sign up. If you have any questions or any input on legislative matters, please email me. Thank you!

With Care,
Rachel Brown, LMT, BCTMB
Government Relations Chair, AMTA-IA
legislationchair.amtaiowa@gmail.com

On behalf of the American Massage Therapy Association’s Chapter, We would like to welcome you as a NEW member this quarter. Congratulations on choosing to join a select group of professionals who have access to the massage industries most current and comprehensive resources, designed to keep you on the cutting edge.
You are part of AMTA’s unique network of thriving chapters. Your Iowa chapter offers various opportunities for you to connect on a local level with other massage therapist, and we contribute financially on your behalf to legislative efforts on the national level. We would love for you to join us on Lobby day at the capitol if you are able, ask Rachel Brown for more details or visit out web page.

As a chapter, we hope to be ale to bring in the kind of continuing education classes that you will be excited to add toy your practice. Please consider joining us at our spring and fall state wide conventions. Please remember that you can check out our website for the AMTA Iowa Chapter at ia.wp.amtamassage.org for any information, and event updates as well as our contact information. You can also email any questions at amtaiowa@gmail.com
~ Please find us on ( Facebook ) and like our page!  AMTA Iowa Chapter
~ Instagram –  ( AMTAIOWA )

~ use the hashtags #amtaiowa and or #iloveamtaiowa

You can also contact the AMTA National Member Service Desk directly toll free at –
1-877-905-2700 with any questions about your membership and benefits. They are also available on the web. www.amtamassage.org and info@amtamassage.org

We all look forward to meeting you in person so please try to attend all of our events year round in different locations throughout the state. As a NEW member, the AMTA Iowa Chapter would like to give both a welcome gift and a $50.00 credit towards your registration for the Iowa Chapter convention spring or fall, to all of the new member names listed below. Please send me a direct email if you would like to receive either one or both of the AMTA Iowa Chapter gifts. You may receive either or both within a year of the date on this newsletter. We hope to see you soon!

Destiny Stons Jordan Rekemeyer Brandon Arnold Jenna Thornton Bridget McGreal
Melissia Stark Trish Long Brooke Knudson Sarah Krause Meagan Morrison Laurie Lahr
Madison Diesburg Dhyana Miller Kay Stevick Stephanie Thomas Katheryn Vestal Jennifer Wilson
Abigail Gregersen Natasha Smith Melissa Ertle Monica DeReus Hannah Shnurman Katrina Vincent
Courtney Lorenz Katelin Twaites Amanda Hallberg Brandy Freie Katie Bechert Kristi Remrey
Wendy Oldendorf Andrea Bruce-Ahmed Trina Sturgeon Frank Wennerholt Dawn Benttine
Stacey Cames Foyht Fraise Laura Hogenson Michael Mathes Mahaaylee Bennitt Paris Smith
Morgan Oliver Nathaniel Metzger Blaze Hams Jenna Bruce Emily Beranek Lisa Sunde
Rylie Johnston Karsi Wells Gracie Chandlee Sandra Dirks Bob Rieken Jasmin Taylor Kaitlyn Pitlik
Kelcie Stafferd Madison Meyer Abby Woosley Marissa Hough Chrissey Adams-Brown
Abigail Musser Arlene Hidalgo Jack Johnson Terri Slanton Michelle Blaha-Polson Sami Warmbier
Alejandro Gomez Carter Boggess Bobbi Jo Whitlow Andrew Boyle Melissa Samano-Nantz
Jhenel Jensen Kate Zeutenhorst Olivia Vaske

ATTENTION: STUDENTS AND NEW GRADUATES
Judy Robuck gift

This gift will be awarded annually for participation at the spring convention (march). This gift will cover the cost of registration. All other costs will be the responsibility of the participant.

Applicants must be a member of the AMTA IOWA chapter in good standing and have graduated from a AMTA school member, located in the state of Iowa, within one year from the date of spring convention or be a current student at an AMTA school member program.

Applicants will be qualified through membership reports received from the AMTA national office. This qualification will include current, active membership with the AMTA IOWA chapter (at the time of applying for the gift and at the time of convention) as well as verification that the applicant attended or is currently attending a school which is an AMTA school member located within the state of Iowa.

Applicants will be required to show proof of graduation, including their name and date of graduation, in the form of copy of their Diploma. If the applicant is a current student, A letter from the school’s administration must be included to verify their current status as a student.

The judy robuck gift will be awarded based upon a written request ( not to exceed 500 words) outlining why the applicant should be chosen. Special consideration may be given to applicants outlining financial needs. The Board members which will determine the awards consist of the chapter president, membership chair and education chair.

Applicant will send their entry for the Judy Robuck gift to the AMTA IOWA chapter Membership chair. (membershipchair.amtaiowa@gmail.com ) All entries must be received by the membership chair no later than 45 days prior to the spring convention date. The membership chair will then share the entries with chapter president and education chair and a decision will be more no later than 30 days prior to the convention date.

The membership chair will notify the recipient and the other applicants of their status regarding the gift. Should there be no applicant for this award in a given year then there will be no judy robuck gift given that year. The gift will then resume the following year (spring convention) as outlined above.

Fall convention 2019 was here and gone!! Wow…what a fantastic weekend of learning and reconnecting!!!
“Presidential Award” was given to Ralph Stevens, our presenter in continuing education, for being one of the MOST accomplished IOWA massage therapists and member of AMTA-Iowa Chapter.

Congratulations Ralph for a job well done!!!!

Certificate of Awards for “Celebration of Years” were given as follows:

40 Years – Ruth Carlson

30 Years – Judith Meyer;  Donna Harder;  Linda Combes;  Elaine Franck

25 Years – Chris Rider; Jodi Vermilyea

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE IN MASSAGE THERAPY!!!!!

Looking forward to seeing you ALL in Cedar Rapids at the Spring Convention!
Respectfully,
Cindy Haack,LMT
AMTA – Iowa Chapter – Awards Chair

FALL 2019 AMTA Iowa digital media chair report by Alexander L. Collins:

WEBSITE ADDRESS IS (http://ia.wp.amtamassage.org )

The current numbers as of September 10th, 2019

Facebook 742 like / 763 following us

https://www.facebook.com/AMTAIOWA/

Instagram followers 184 and 129 following us

https://www.instagram.com/amtaiowa

UP COMING EVENTS :

We are holding our 3rd annual Lobby Day at the Iowa state Capitol on February 4th, 2020 from 11:30am to 1:30pm. If you are interested in joining us for this event, please email Rachel at legislationchair.amtaiowa@gmail.com. Help us build a strong presence.

We were excited to have Ralph Stephens presenting at the AMTA Iowa chapter fall convention. Ralph celebrates 33 yrs. as a professional massage therapist this fall. Congratulations, Ralph! and the Teaching Assistants Keith Kowal, Kathy Lutz, Alexander L. Collins.

Fall 2019 AMTA IOWA Chapter convention

Zhen E. Rammelsberg, Ralph Stephens & Karen Sindelar.

“Meritorious Award was given to our Digital Media Chair, Alexander L. Collins for being proactive in cleaning up and making our Digital Media/Social Media successful. Expand our chapter into broader horizons! Congratulations”, ~ Cindy Haack September 2019