Rooted needs your support!
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Hello, Community!
In April, Rooted will celebrate seven years of being open. Seven years of growth and support and connection with so many wonderful clients and amazing therapists. We've gone from a small space shared by three therapists to a nine-room clinic housing the businesses of up to 30 therapists and an entire Pilates studio. It's a supportive, tight-knit community that—I am ever grateful to acknowledge—has been embraced and nurtured by the wider community of Tucson. It’s been a very humbling journey for me, full mostly of gratitude.
But on this anniversary, what we face is nothing I ever expected. The coronavirus pandemic threatens the livelihood of Rooted's massage therapists and the place where they practice in a very direct way. So, as difficult as it is for me, I need to ask for help.
In a way, our problem is simple: if our therapists can’t work for an extended period of time, they can’t pay rent. If they can’t pay rent, Rooted can’t pay rent. If Rooted is at risk, so are all the small businesses that operate out of our space (including Centerline Movement, which is housed within Rooted).
We massage therapists did not choose our profession because it's lucrative; we do it because it's what we are. For the privilege of caring for others as our job, we sacrifice a certain amount of financial stability. Rooted's independent therapists are self-employed, so they often lack the safety nets other workers have, like paid sick leave and time off, employer-provided health insurance, unemployment benefits, and family/medical leave. They run the spectrum of financial stability, and many are deeply reliant on every session that they perform at Rooted. Some of us have savings, but typically not enough to sustain us indefinitely, and the hallmark of this crisis is not knowing when it will end.
Our goal is to keep Rooted viable and a place our therapists can return to once this crisis is over without burdening those therapists, and even helping them. We want not a single one of our therapists to lose the business they've worked so hard to build.
On behalf of my family and all our Rooted therapists, I’m asking for your help.
In a time of need for so many people, yourselves included, I completely understand that it is a lot to ask, but I feel very strongly that I need to ask you now. Any support you can give, no matter how small, will ripple through the lives of over 35 people and their families, and continue further out into Tucson's struggling local economy. Your donation will also impact Centerline Movement and the Pilates instructors that work within that business. Our walls house so many amazing providers, and I feel so responsible for making sure that when the dust settles, they have a place to come back to.
I want to make clear that we are exploring all of our options when it comes to keeping our doors open and are not just relying on this campaign. But we would be remiss if we didn't throw out this particular lifeline as well. All money raised will go toward keeping our basic commitments met so that we can still be there when our therapists and their clients are ready to return, while lessening the financial burdens of those therapists. We will also be helping them keep food on their tables and roofs over their heads. Your support now will help give us all an opportunity to weather this storm.
If you are a client who relies on a Rooted therapist for relief from stress or pain, we ask that you consider a donation that will help keep your therapist afloat. If you would prefer to help Rooted in other ways, you can purchase eGiftCards of any amount, which can be used with any therapist any time. You can also reach out to your individual practitioner to purchase gift certificates from them directly or if you’d like to make a donation to your specific therapist, you can mail it to them at our address and we will make sure it lands in their hands.
We appreciate you and anything you can do to keep our dream alive.
In April, Rooted will celebrate seven years of being open. Seven years of growth and support and connection with so many wonderful clients and amazing therapists. We've gone from a small space shared by three therapists to a nine-room clinic housing the businesses of up to 30 therapists and an entire Pilates studio. It's a supportive, tight-knit community that—I am ever grateful to acknowledge—has been embraced and nurtured by the wider community of Tucson. It’s been a very humbling journey for me, full mostly of gratitude.
But on this anniversary, what we face is nothing I ever expected. The coronavirus pandemic threatens the livelihood of Rooted's massage therapists and the place where they practice in a very direct way. So, as difficult as it is for me, I need to ask for help.
In a way, our problem is simple: if our therapists can’t work for an extended period of time, they can’t pay rent. If they can’t pay rent, Rooted can’t pay rent. If Rooted is at risk, so are all the small businesses that operate out of our space (including Centerline Movement, which is housed within Rooted).
We massage therapists did not choose our profession because it's lucrative; we do it because it's what we are. For the privilege of caring for others as our job, we sacrifice a certain amount of financial stability. Rooted's independent therapists are self-employed, so they often lack the safety nets other workers have, like paid sick leave and time off, employer-provided health insurance, unemployment benefits, and family/medical leave. They run the spectrum of financial stability, and many are deeply reliant on every session that they perform at Rooted. Some of us have savings, but typically not enough to sustain us indefinitely, and the hallmark of this crisis is not knowing when it will end.
Our goal is to keep Rooted viable and a place our therapists can return to once this crisis is over without burdening those therapists, and even helping them. We want not a single one of our therapists to lose the business they've worked so hard to build.
On behalf of my family and all our Rooted therapists, I’m asking for your help.
In a time of need for so many people, yourselves included, I completely understand that it is a lot to ask, but I feel very strongly that I need to ask you now. Any support you can give, no matter how small, will ripple through the lives of over 35 people and their families, and continue further out into Tucson's struggling local economy. Your donation will also impact Centerline Movement and the Pilates instructors that work within that business. Our walls house so many amazing providers, and I feel so responsible for making sure that when the dust settles, they have a place to come back to.
I want to make clear that we are exploring all of our options when it comes to keeping our doors open and are not just relying on this campaign. But we would be remiss if we didn't throw out this particular lifeline as well. All money raised will go toward keeping our basic commitments met so that we can still be there when our therapists and their clients are ready to return, while lessening the financial burdens of those therapists. We will also be helping them keep food on their tables and roofs over their heads. Your support now will help give us all an opportunity to weather this storm.
If you are a client who relies on a Rooted therapist for relief from stress or pain, we ask that you consider a donation that will help keep your therapist afloat. If you would prefer to help Rooted in other ways, you can purchase eGiftCards of any amount, which can be used with any therapist any time. You can also reach out to your individual practitioner to purchase gift certificates from them directly or if you’d like to make a donation to your specific therapist, you can mail it to them at our address and we will make sure it lands in their hands.
We appreciate you and anything you can do to keep our dream alive.
Organizer
Sarah Cafiero
Organizer
Tucson, AZ
