IN THE NEWS

Dear Touch For Health Kinesiology Association Member:

This last year we have been using Eurich Management Services (EMS) company to run the TFHKA, and I believe it was worth trying, but the Board has come to the decision to stop using EMS, and go back to our early approach of using mostly volunteers, with minimal paid staff and overhead. As of January 18, 2010, we will no longer be housed in the Lansing, Michigan EMS offices.

Long time members and TFHKA leaders Larry & Arlene Green have agreed to spearhead the move, and provide the central coordinating of the different functions of the TFHKA, and lend us space in their offices, though most of the TFHKA functions will be fulfilled by volunteer members like yourselves. Many of our services can be fulfilled virtually/online, more efficiently, with greater benefit to members and to the TFHKA bottom line.

Our 800# remains the same:
800-466-8342

Our new mailing address and phone will be:

7121 New Light Trail Chapel Hill, NC 27516
(919) 969-0027

During the summer of 2008, the TFHKA board worked very hard to come to grips with the finances of the Association, which were on a downward trend. After considering various alternatives, Eurich Management Services (EMS) were selected to run the day-to-day office functions of the TFHKA. This move was meant to provide a more professional staff, with less overhead than in our previous offices. We had high hopes that EMS' many years of experience running non-profits would help turn our finances around while improving the services to our membership.

Unfortunately, the overhead at EMS is still unsustainable, and we need to cut expenses further to be able to pay our debts and continue to function. The TFHKA has been a member-run organization for 20 years, surviving the ups and downs of the economy through the efforts of our many volunteers, and ongoing creativity to meet the changing circumstances over the years.

Despite ongoing financial challenges, and the inconvenience of moving the physical office location 2 years in a row, the TFHKA has been making progress during the last 12 to 18 months:

• Conference in 2010: This 35th annual conference is quite a milestone for the TFHKA and we will be returning to our early traditions of very affordable accommodations at the Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA. (Just as we held many of our early conferences at the San Diego University campus). In response to our Post-conference member survey, we have made affordability a priority as our membership requested.
   
• We have re-instituted our Instructor and Class Date listings on the website, and are investigating how we can coordinate bulk-mailing campaigns for any of our member instructors who would like a streamlined, template-based system for publicizing their classes locally or nationally.
   
• The John Thie Memorial Research Project continues, and we are still looking for more participation: http://www.etouchforhealth.com/research/
   
• We are finding ways to continue handling student registrations, certificates, and course manuals in the most efficient, cost-effective way. We are looking at ways to make our bookstore both a greater value to the membership, with greater selections of specialized and TFH relevant materials, while at the same time making it easier to manage for the TFHKA.
   
• Ongoing work on the Education Committee is creating updated and new information to be posted on the website that will make things more clear and accurate.
   
• We will also continue to issue Continuing Education units as we have done for most of our 20 year history, and will be looking at expanding recognition for TFH courses beyond the traditional Bodywork and Nursing fields. If you are familiar with the requirements for your State, in an allied field, please contact the Board.
   
• John Thie started the Touch for Health Foundation in Pasadena, California in 1973. In 1990 he closed the Foundation and passed on the authority for the TFH training program to the existing Faculty, who founded the IKC which now has 30 Trainers teaching in 60 countries worldwide. The TFHKA was also founded in 1990 to continue to support students, Instructors and Faculty in sharing TFH. The TFHKA has organized 20 consecutive Annual Kinesiology conferences, and constantly spreads the word of TFH.
  
  After over 35 years of TFH, we are again at a crossroads. What is our goal for the association going into the "twenty-teens"? With the growth of the internet we have unprecedented opportunities for networking, conferencing, and building communities, locally, nationwide, and internationally. We also want to continue supporting our long-timers who may not be as computer oriented. TFHKA continues to be truly YOUR association, as it has evolved these many years, and will continue to do so, only with the creative participation of its members.
   
• We will be calling on our membership to give both their suggestions to the Board about what they want their Association to be, as well as contribute to the process, joining in on our volunteer committees and making it all happen.

In touch, TFHKA board members

We look forward to working with you!