December 8, 2016, Toms River, NJ – Was Santa listening in? A member of the American Institute staff happened to chat with the manager of a local day care center while supporting Santa Claus visits with chair massages at Ocean County mall. Before the event was over, Santa had granted two holiday wishes. “We’re always looking for opportunities to give back to the community and to demonstrate our students’ skills,” said Carrie Weinerman, Massage Therapy Program Director at the Toms River campus of American Institute. “And no one works harder than day care employees. So, I offered to have our students come to the day care center and give massages to the staff.” The next week, Ms. Weinerman and her students brought their new massage therapy skills to the Learning Experience Day Care Center, where 25 employees enjoyed well-deserved chair massages. “The students massaged all the teachers, assistants, administration – everyone that works there came in,” said Ms. Weinerman. “They were so excited and so thankful. We all loved every second of it.”

The students also handed out business cards and circulated a sign-in sheet so the day care staff could make follow-up appointments at the American Institute student massage clinic. “It’s important for our students to see that people in many different occupations need massages,” said Ms. Weinerman. “They feel so great knowing they helped so many people, and that everyone they massaged absolutely loved it. It gives the students a lot of confidence.” The students did such a fantastic job, in fact, that the day care manager asked if they could come back regularly. Ms. Weinerman is planning to organize monthly visits next year. “I’m proud of our team and our students for their commitment to make a difference in our community by providing service wherever and whenever they can. It’s an important part of what makes American Institute such a great place to be, and I’m delighted to see it in action,” noted Campus President Timothy M. Rodgers.