If you are looking for a way to pay it forward in 2024, consider healing it forward by supporting Integrative Touch through the 16th Annual Butterfly Gala at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10 at El Conquistador Tucson — A Hilton Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Road.
Proceeds from the signature fundraiser will support Integrative Touch programs and services, including the first-of-its-kind Integrative Touch Healing Center. Opened last fall at 7493 N. Oracle Road, Suite 103, the center offers online classes, healing therapies, personalized holistic treatments and workshops to people on-site and around the world. It also includes a gift shop featuring retail items, greeting cards and books dedicated to wellness.
The center marks a milestone for the nonprofit, which began almost 20 years ago as Integrative Touch for Kids and has expanded its services to those of all ages, from pediatrics through geriatrics.
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“People really heal in community. When they are isolated, it is difficult to heal, and when they don’t feel a sense of belonging, it is difficult to help them. The Healing Center provides a place where they have opportunities to work with other people to form relationships and connections: We are creating a place that has the elements that support and facilitate a healing journey,” said Shay Beider, founder and CEO of Integrative Touch.
The center focuses on serving children and adults who are experiencing trauma or illness, but it is open to the public, offering 30 different treatments ranging from massage and bodywork to acupuncture and craniosacral therapy to Ayurvedic and energy treatments and much more. It also offers counseling and therapy services and mental health support.
“We believe that often trauma is a source of mental health challenges. We are offering a new program called PQ, a Positive Intelligence and coaching program with a wellness concierge who can guide people and customize recommendations to help meet their goals,” said Beider.
Additionally, the center offers weekly Compassion Camps, which feature wellness-themed activities designed for children of all abilities. The camps evolved from original Integrative Touch for Kids programs for families of children facing medical challenges.
“In our pilot program and retreats, we learned that connection is an important part of wellness and healing. The common thread among most families that have a child with special medical needs was how isolated they felt. The camps provide a place for kids of all abilities to come together and be themselves,” said Jamie Lakin Kelley, a registered play therapist who has been a board member for Integrative Touch for more than 10 years.
A cornerstone of the camps and all Integrative Touch programming is the force of 500 volunteers that includes teens, high school and college students and young adults.
“Another important part of our community is the impact that involvement has on volunteers. We have lots of young volunteers who have talked about how their lives were transformed through the experience of learning to play with these families and children. They have learned to play with children in wheelchairs and children who are nonverbal ... it is magical in that way,” Lakin Kelley said.
Volunteers are also key in Integrative Touch’s “Heal It Forward” model. Like “Pay It Forward,” the model allows those who pay market price for services to contribute to a scholarship fund so those in financial need receive services at reduced prices or no cost.
“For people who are struggling and can’t pay money out-of-pocket, this community supports them. We can help them to heal when they are in a terrible place,” Beider said.
Ultimately, the Integrative Touch endeavor is designed to complement Western medicine, according to Beider, who holds a master’s degree from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
“One of the things you learn in public health is that the Western medical system is designed for acute care. That was the inception of the system, and it excels at that. Western medicine is weaker with chronic illness and healing, which is multidimensional and involves body, mind, spirit, emotions, and everything else that goes along with the injuries, illnesses and traumas that creep up in our lives,” she said.
Beider emphasized that putting together all of the pieces of the puzzle can have life-changing results for those dealing with pain, suffering or medical challenges.
“We help people to listen deeply to their inner intelligence and try to get to the core of why their illness manifested. We use what we learn to try to best support them through those challenges,” she said.
