The Massage for Peace program by the Boulder College of Massage Therapy literally touches hundreds of people each year.

The non-profit massage school helps student share their healing hands with those living with illness, in poverty, and through war and conflict. Each year they offer 10,000 hours of massage free of charge to those who need it most.

As one alumna for the College, Becky Little explains Massage for Peace is “the simple act of reaching out and touching someone. Extending the love, care, and respect that comes from nurturing touch to another human being is a gift that enriches life. The gentle touch of a hand or a reassuring hug reduces fear, anxiety, and loneliness often felt in times of unrest and despair.”

With the average cost of a massage being about $1 per minute, over the last 33 years the school estimates its donation to those in need to be nearly $200,000.

At home, massage therapists from the school each spend about 250 hours per year with patients in prenatal, postpartum, cancer, cardiac, and orthopedic care at Boulder Community Hospital.

Last September, 10 massage therapists travelled to Dharamsala, India to teach massage therapy to Tibetan refugees at Lha Charitable Trust. Many of the refugees they worked with arrived with little aside from the clothes on their backs and the terror of the experiences they escaped. In a letter afterward, the trust’s general manager Ngawang Rabgyal said the skills learned by the refugees will go a long way toward helping them rebuild their confidence, and praised BCMT for its dedication to non violence. This was the seventh trip by students of the school to Dharamsala.

We at Tees for Change are proud  that we designed and produced the Massage for Peace t-shirts worn by the massage therapists on their journey and we hope you’ll join us in following their adventures in peace.

If you want to know more about the Massage for Peace trip to India, you can read all about it on the BCMT blog. To donate to Massage for Peace please follow this link.