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Awards and RecognitionThe Swedish Institute receives frequent recognition for the community service it provides when students and teachers bring the benefits of massage and acupuncture to various locations around the city through its Offsite Internship Clinic. On April 22, 2005, the Swedish Institute’s Off-site Clinic Programs received the President's Volunteer Service Award in recognition of their contributions to September Space, an organization in Manhattan that provides free services to people still affected by the terrorist attack of 2001. Faculty members Ericka Clinton, L.M.T. and Francesca Biryukov, L.Ac., accepted the awards on behalf of their respective programs. Both Clinton and Biryukov received gold pins, as well as a written statement bearing the Presidential Seal. Student interns who were present also received a certificate and silver pin. In a letter accompanying the award, President Bush reminds recipients that, "In January 2002, I called on all Americans to dedicate at least two years-or 4,000 hours-over the course of their lives to serve others at home or abroad... Americans of all ages can serve others in countless ways, such as mentoring a child, caring for an elderly neighbor, teaching someone to read, cleaning parks, and creating safer neighborhoods."
In March, 2004 the Swedish Institute received the "Community Partner of the Year" award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, NYC Chapter, for its role in providing massage therapy to participants in the MS Bike Tour and MS Walk. The school is also recognized for its annual participation during the New York City Marathon, when massage therapy students provide pre- and post-event sports massage for runners in Fred's Team. Fred's Team consists of runners who raise money for research at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
September 11, 2001
In the aftermath of the attack on New York City, the massage therapy and acupuncture community responded with an outpouring of volunteer efforts to aid rescue workers and later, recovery teams. In the first weeks after the initial devastation, nearly 1,400 volunteers went to more than fifty sites. The Swedish Institute's administration and staff took a leading role in coordination and mobilization of therapists, as well as providing the financial support needed to maintain tables and supplies for many weeks. The organization emerged spontaneously and selflessly; the only concern was to provide massage therapy and acupuncture to those most in need. Months later, letters of recognition attested to the deep and lasting impression that volunteer therapists made. A certificate of appreciation from John T. Odermatt, Commissioner of New York City's Office of Emergency Management, and Jonathan Greenspun, Commissioner of the Mayor's Community Assistance Unit, was accompanied by a letter to school president Paula J. Eckardt, which said, in part, "On behalf of the City of New York, we would like to thank you for your assistance in the World Trade Center disaster relief effort. The demand for help in the wake of September 11th was unprecedented, which made your aid all the more valuable. With your assistance New York was quickly able to respond to the days' events, and with your cooperation, the city was able to prepare itself for the long road to recovery. We truly could not have done it without you." For more information on the volunteer efforts of massage therapists and acupuncturists refer to the first issue of our school newsletter, Sinews, Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring 2002 .
Contact UsWe would like to build a reference archive of stories from acupuncturists and massage therapists who participated in the post September 11 relief effort. Please contact the newsletter Editorial Board via:
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