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Mark Zidar President Craig Philhower 1st Vice President Barbye Greenberg 2nd Vice President Mitchell Rudin Treasurer Mark Ferrara Secretary Debra Halperin Immediate Past President: Bob Poulin Ethics / By-Laws / Election Chair Evan Sobel Educational Standards Chair Kelly Nelson Public Relations Director Lydia Shutter Office Director / Manager If these names look pretty much the same as they have been in the past, it’s because they are! We had a change in our Second Vice President’s position where after 6 years of loyal service to the FSMTA Gail Naas chose not to run again to devote more time to real life and career! (it’s not the FSMTA). We’re going to miss you, Gail! Barbye is going to have "lots of fun" getting everything to run as smoothly as you did every month! As the Elections Chair, Bob Poulin did his usual excellent job of getting everything ready for the election. He had the ballots and his committee to count the votes in place well before the meeting. We have had some problems recently in one other chapter in the state and it makes me more thankful that we have Bob to run the election properly and by the book! This was the first time we had a contested position in our election in years! We usually have a hard time FINDING SOMEONE TO FILL all the positions! It was close, but in the end Barbye Greenberg was elected Second Vice President. I would like to thank Gail Naas for putting up with me for 6 long years. (I know I have not always been the easiest guy to work for!) She has been my confidante and mentor many times over the years and I hope I can continue to rely on her support even though she’s not on the board. Gail, I still have your private cell number! Those appointed Broward Chapter Committee Chairs and Directors are: Bob Poulin: Ethics/By-Laws Chair, Evan Sobel: Educational Standards Chair/Hospitality Chair and Kelly Azif-Nelson Public Relations Director/Phone Tree Chair. We still have a few open positions so if you want to get involved in the Association see or call me or any of the Board members for more information on open positions If you caught what I said about members, yes, we broke the 600 level finally! As of April 1st we had 606 members and are well ahead of the second place chapter, Central Florida, which has 564. Great work to all you guys who are getting your fellow LMT's to join. Thanks to all the area schools for your support of the FSMTA. Without you and your students this association could not survive! We had a quarterly Board meeting in Winter Park the first weekend in April. For the first time in 10 years we found it necessary to raise the dues for LMT members. Effective August 31, 2004 the annual dues for membership or associate membership will increase to $125. If you want to pay for 2 years at once it will be $230 ($20 savings). If you pay for 3 years at once it's $300 (a savings of $75 over paying dues annually). Student membership remains at $50. CONVENTION BUT THERE IN ONE CATCH - IN ORDER TO GET TICKETS TO THE THURSDAY AND SATURDAY DINNERS YOU MUST REGISTER BY EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION OF MAY 14TH! Because of the switch in the hotels there is limited space in the dining room and we had to limit the seating. SO IF YOU WANT A SEAT FOR DINNER, REGISTER EARLY or you will not receive dinner tickets! Educational sessions are limited this year also! There are a total of 36 sessions over the three days and some of the classes are small. This is another reason to register early and be sure to mark a second and third selection in case the first choice fills up! You all should have received your convention registration magazines from the state by now, or picked them up at one of the last two meetings. Room reservations must be made by May 21st -ask for FSMTA convention room rate: $109 per night single/ double. Call: 1-407-827-3333 All 91 Booths in the Conference/Exhibition Hall have been sold as of April 5th. Because of lack of space I don't think we will be able to have our annual chapter party at the convention this year unless I find a place nearby to hold it. We'll just have to make next years party in Boca twice as big! HOLIDAY PARTY BROWARD CHAPTER OFFICE CEU BROKER PROGRAM I hope you enjoy the new newsletter. Please support our advertisers. Click onto their websites to check out their products. Tell them you saw their ad in Hands Across Broward. They help make this newsletter possible. Hopefully now we will be able to get you more current news. Please pass the web address on to your fellow LMT's that are members and even those who are not. Maybe we can convince them to join. We are still going to print two "hard copies" of the newsletter each year just for the "oldtimers" who don't have computers or access to one. Hope to see you at the May and June meetings. Remember, no meeting in July. The convention is the end of June and those who attend it need time to recover! Mark |
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President’s Message November/December 2004 An abbreviated hard copy of this issue will be sent out to Broward Chapter members. We plan to do this twice each year to accommodate those members who do not have computer access. Additionally, it will act as a reminder of upcoming events for all our members. You can find the full copy of the November/December Issue of Hands Across Broward on our website: www.browardfsmta.org. Happy Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year, Merry Christmas and Happy and Merry anything else I forgot! Wow another year almost over. First I think, “I can’t be getting old that quick!” Then I look in the mirror and realize - yes I can! This is the final newsletter for 2004 and what a year it’s been! For the world, the nation, state, and the FSMTA on both the state and chapter levels. LMT & Associate Members JANUARY 4th MEDICAL ERRORS MARC KALMANSON 2 CEUs FEBRUARY 1st PETE WHITRIDGE ETHICS CEUs MARCH 1st BOB POULIN FLA LAW 2 CEUs APRIL 5th ESTON DUNN HIV/AIDS NO CEUs We will not mail out any certificates, if you forget to pick it up that night you will need to take the class again! For a complete 2005 FSMTA BROWARD CHAPTER MEETING SCHEDULE check later in this newsletter. We will also have copies at the meetings for you the take home. Why not post one on your refrigerator with our new Broward Chapter www.browardfsmta.org magnets that we have been handing out at the meetings? Past Meetings Sept. 7th Because of a lady named "Frances" we canceled the September meeting. Craig and I showed up just in case some people didn’t get the message. Sure enough, 4 students from BCC and two of our "older" therapists, who should have know better were there, (Al and Mike I won’t mention your names.). Actually, this was not that bad. Thanks to Kelly and the phone tree doing a great job and Lydia sending out an email we managed to get the word out. FUTURE MEETINGS:
This issue of Hands Across Broward is late due to the hurricane and power NOTE: |
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From your President The newest change affecting you and the Broward Chapter is that Mark Zidar has stepped down as your president. Mark had held the position of chapter president for seven years, which undoubtedly has got to be a record. On a chapter level, much of what we all take for granted was hard fought for (and won) on the state level by Mark. The dual pressures of time spent and legislative involvement cannot be stressed enough. Being 1st Vice President, I was able to see first hand how much devotion and pride Mark placed in being your President, but that comes with a great cost. It is sad to have Mark step down from his position in the Broward Chapter. Being both in the forefront and active behind the scenes can take a toll on you after all these years. Mark, along with the chapter board, decided it was in the board’s best interest for him to step down and enjoy a much needed rest away from the daily grind. This was a difficult decision to make for all parties involved, but it was the best decision. From the entire Broward Chapter members and the Board, “Thank you, Mark.” Now, in case you are wondering, I will be moving up as your President, with Barbye Greenberg assuming the 1st Vice President position. Whether or not we will be filling the 2nd Vice President position has not been decided, but we will keep you posted. Gail Nass has returned to help out with sign ups and to aid us wherever she can. Gail was our most recent 2nd Vice President for several years, and her experience will be a valuable asset. Another old face returning is Michael Coker. Some of you may remember Michael being our bylaws chair 4 years ago. Michael, who teaches at the American Institute of Massage Therapy, will be responsible for procuring the refreshments at our meetings. Next to our CEU’s, the cookies, veggies, & juices are the meeting’s most popular offering. Thank you, Michael. Not to be left out are your current board members, without whom this transition would have been impossible. I need to acknowledge the following people and thank them for all their time and efforts: Mitch Ruden for his humor and advice, Mark Ferrara for his organizational abilities and strength, Barbye Greenberg for always being there, Kelly Nelson for her kindness and compassion, and Bob Poulin for his insight and support through this difficult time. Joe Vargas (Jay) will be returning as our webmaster and website designer. Jay has spent considerable time building and improving our website for the last 8 months. In the short time our website has been up, it has been copied several times by other Chapters. The state web site also looks similar to ours; imitation is truly the most sincere form of flattery. We are very lucky to have Jay with us as we venture into cyberspace. Another new face on the board is Janet Wiseman. Janet will be taking over as our Office Manager, relieving Lydia Shutter of her responsibilities. Actually, Janet isn’t really a new face. She has been very active with us over the last year helping in any way possible. Along with Jay, she has worked together on the website since its inception. She has also been valuable at many charity events, including last year’s Holiday Party. This will be one of the strongest and most talented boards we have had in a long time. Rest assured, we have not slowed down; we have already overcome several obstacles that would have stalled other chapters. We look forward to welcoming you to 2005! Over the next few months, we will be looking to expand the board in order to have fresh ideas and more membership involvement from you. This is something I’ve always wanted to do; I believe in our membership, so listen for your chance to help. December 18th marked our Holiday Party at Tropical Acres. In the past, we had opted for buffet dinners, pot luck dinners, catered dinners, but never a sit down dinner. This was an enjoyable change: holiday music played while guests arrived & continued during the course of the dinner. Once dinner and raffle prizes were over, the real party began. I had no idea we had so many talented dancers in our Chapter! We partied from 7pm till 11pm. Afterwards, some of us finished out the evening listening to Irish music at a local pub. Below is a list of some really wonderful raffle prizes: - A massage table from Golden Ratio. If I missed any one, I apologize. A big thanks must be given to our chapter board that once again pulled all this together and made it a success. There is so much more information that I could actually go on and on, so please check our web site at www.browardfsmta.org. We have more information being added and updated along with new articles and stories. Check out our gallery page for holiday pictures & chapter meeting pictures. Our ‘Find a Therapist’ page is now being developed and should be available soon. We will need to hear from you whether you want to be listed or not, so posted please contact us. Also, in order to receive new web site updates of “Hands across Broward” we will need your e-mail address. We will keep your e-mail address private; it will not be sold, traded, bartered, left exposed on a desk, or lost in a poker game. Also, we will not annoy you with ads, jokes or frivolous announcements of where my band will be performing. This website is strictly for the Broward FSMTA and to inform you of up coming meetings. Thank you very much for your time in reading about these changes about what’s new in your chapter. I am looking forward to being your president and fulfilling my obligation to you. Thank You |
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From your President Thomas Liberto’s Mom passed away last week of cancer. Most of you will know Tom from speaking at our chapter and being a presenter at several FSMTA conventions. Our thoughts and prayers are with him through this sad time. Please make any donations to the Hospice Center of Lakeworth Lexa Allin Sutherland, President and Owner of the American Institute of Massage Therapy from 1987 to 2004, fell asleep in death, at age 58, on March 10, 2005 in Pompano Beach, Florida. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November 2004 and fought a brief but courageous battle with the disease. In remembrance of Lexa, a Celebration of Life memorial service will be held at the Pompano Beach Seventh-day Adventist Church, 954-782-7182, located at 3401 NE 3rd Avenue, Pompano Beach, on Saturday, March 19, 2005 at 2:00 PM. Fellowship and a light buffet will immediately follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lexa Sutherland Memorial Fund. Checks should be made payable to Michael Sutherland, and sent to American Institute of Massage Therapy, 416 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach, FL 33060. For further information please visit www.tributetolexa.faithweb.com. ______________________________________________________________ If you made it to our March meeting you will remember that I gave out a lot of information. I realized while I was reading my notes that to write down everything I was saying would have given you writer’s cramp. There was a lot of information that our members (you) needed to be aware of, so for those that missed the meeting or didn’t write everything down here is the most important info. April Meeting April 5th will be Eston Dunn HIV / Aids this is a required class for renewal for your licenses. Also a BIG thanks to our own Bob Poulin for his talk March 1st on Florida Law. Normally a very dull and dry lecture, Bob kept it fun and interesting. Medical Massage National Certification Exam We have had several inquiries regarding a Medical Massage National Certification Exam (MMNCB). Many of our therapists received an email in January 2005 giving complete information on this exam including requirements, guidelines, fees, dates and locations. I contacted the DOH Florida Board of Massage Therapy February 9, 2005. In answer to all your questions about this exam the Florida Board of Massage Therapy does not recognize this test (see excerpt below from January 2005 BOMT Meeting). You are not required to take this exam to practice Massage Therapy in the State of Florida. This certification is not required for you to bill insurance for massage therapy in Florida FSMTA Membership Drive The central office will be having a state wide FSMTA Membership Drive beginning April 1st through May 31st, 2005 (60 days). The Chapter that has the highest percentage (%) of new members (LMT & student) within the allotted time will be awarded prizes. (Free Convention Registrations, Massage Products [i.e., tables, chairs, lubricant, etc.], CEU Courses, and more) during the 2005 FSMTA Convention in Boca Raton to the following: The Individual with the most new members that posted them as a recruiter (sponsor), Every new person (LMT) that becomes a member within the allotted time will be placed into a drawing for a prize. The person that sponsored them will win a prize as well. The students that join will also be placed into a separate drawing and the person who recruited (sponsored) them (even if another student) will both win a prize. Please mail to the FSMTA Central Office: 1089 W. Morse Blvd. Suite C, Winter Park, FL 32789 ***YOU MUST FILL OUT A MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ALONG WITH THIS FORM*** We have included a link to this membership form for you to download, let’s show just how strong and united the Broward Chapter is !!!!!!!! Click here for Membership Form PT Challenge PT’s have challenged the Board of Massage on whether LMT’s can assess, stretch and do neuromuscular re-education. If there bill is passed this will severely affect all LMT’s. This is a very serious challenge to our profession and we need to be united in this cause when the time arises. We now have posted on our website every legislator in the state of Florida; all your local representatives are now just a click away. This year’s convention will have a key note speaker from Sweden that will address the origins of Swedish Massage and reinforce that it does include “movement”. The timing of this speaker couldn’t have been better, one more reason not to miss your convention! Swap meet / picnic At our last board meeting we discussed an idea about having a swap meet / picnic. This would be a great way for us to get together at an informal setting to eat, swap stories and get rid of all those unused massage books, magazines, tools, etc. Let us know if you’re up for that, were always looking for new ideas. IMPERIAL POINT HOSPITAL 5K Run We have several very important events coming up soon, that we need your help on. We are able to use this cafeteria because of Imperial Point Hospital. They have asked us to help them out for a few hours (8:30 to 11:00 am) on Saturday April 9th w with their 5 K run for children. We need to show them how much we appreciate them for letting us use their cafeteria for our meetings. If we don’t help them we may find ourselves in a difficult situation in the future. These people are our friends and truly like us, so please help out. Contact me through our e-mail address BrowardFSMTA@aol.com or leave a message at 954 791-0092 I will get back to you and answer all your questions. Autism Walk 2005 Walk FAR for NAAR Some of the Broward members know that my grandson has a form of Autism. These events American Cancer Society, MS Society and several others always hit home the hardest when it becomes personal to you. I’m asking you from my heart if you could please give up a few hours of your time on April 9th to help.2005 Walk FAR for NAAR event. The event is being held on Saturday, April 9, 2005 on the Nova Southeastern University campus on the grounds in front of the Alvin Sherman Library. The event is scheduled for 9am registration, 10am walk. Please complete your setup before 8:45am. The event will end between 12pm and 1pm as the crowd dissipates. We expect between 2,000 to 3,000 attendees with at least 25% being young children Contact me through our e-mail address BrowardFSMTA@aol.com leave a message at 954 791-0092 I will get back to you and answer all your questions. You may use these events to promote yourself, your business or just to feel that you’re given a piece of yours heart to have others feel better. Dade County Chapter Our sister chapter Dade County Chapter will be having James Waskowski giving a workshop at Hilton Homewood Suites in Miami March 18, 19, 20. Subject will be the Lower Torso. Special Prices for the Broward members $275.00. This is quite a discount that will not be offered to other chapters Contact Richard Weir for more complete information at 305-261-3335 or 305 - 264-1205 Mad Mitch’s E-mail Drive If you have not filled out our request for your e-mail please see Mitch at the meeting or myself and we will give you a form to contact us. You can also contact Mitch by a special e-mail address email@BrowardFSMTA.org to get connected. We will use this to alert you of meetings, speaker changes, or anything news worthy for you, our members. This list will be kept very private and will not be given out under any circumstances. Your privacy will be respected and protected. There will be no junk mail, spam or other annoying messages sent. |
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Important Notice !!! Chapter Officer Elections The election of Chapter Officers will be held at our January 3, 2006 meeting. The opening date for nominations is October 1, 2005 and shall close January 3, 2006. For eligibility requirements, nomination applications, officer duties, campaign /elections procedures or other related information please contact Bob Poulin at 954-782-9761 or PoulinR@aol.com. From your President Luckily the summer months are rather slow for any new information or events. Most charities have suspended any events until cooler weather arrives. Our State representatives are on a break till the fall. But not to worry, we do have our convention. I’m sure by now everyone has received their FSMTA magazine with all the information on this year’s 2005 convention & Trade Show. This being a renewal year should promise to be another sell out, so make your reservations now. Boca Resort & Spa will be hosting our convention. If you have never been there you will be in for a real treat. This Hotel is nothing but Spectacular. The sites at the Hotel have been laid out so that travel between classes will be efficient and less confusing than past hotels. For further information on the Convention or the Resort and a listing of all presenters go to: www.FSMTA.org. Some of the Presenters are old friends, many of which have already spoken at our meetings. Others speakers are nationally recognized lecturers that we either have studied about, read about or wished we had the chance to attend a class or two. Well thanks to an amazing effort on our State’s part, hours and days on the phone, the scheduling problems and the logistics have been worked out. This year’s convention will certainly prove to be the best one yet. Here is just a preview of some of the presenters: Alaya Chikly, Eric Dalton, Roy Desjarlais, Mark Kalmanson, David Kent, Thomas Liberto, Vivian Madison-Mahoney, Tom Myers, Renee Liden, Rolf Elmstrom, James Waslaski, Don McCann, Sue Welfley, Bruno Chikly, Laurel Freeman, Barry Gillespie, Colleen Holloway, Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, Mary Murphy, Pete Whitridge, Signy Erickson, Anthousa Helena, Pete Pfannerstill, Judy Ray, Susan Schurlock Duranna, Larry Siegal. Sorry if I have missed anyone. Starting with last months meeting I announced that this January we will be having Board Elections. With the exception of Mitch Rudin we all will be running for our present positions. If you feel you would like to run for an office, please contact me either at our meetings or by email. You can send your e-mail to BrowardFSMTA@aol.com and put attention “Craig / Elections” I will fill you in on all the information you need. You may also contact Bob Poulin. We are looking for new people, so even if you don’t want an elected position we do need help in other areas. You might have a talent in another area that we may not be aware of. So please come forward & help. This is YOUR Chapter, through you it will only get better. Craig Philhower |
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Deadline for tickets is December 4
