WAACH OUT!

Here comes Colon Hydrotherapy!

Greetings from the desk of your WAACH secretary, Kristi Zimmer!  I just wanted to get a quick email out to as many folks as possible to let you know how things went at today’s WAACH meeting.

Exciting things happened today… 

We met our new executive director, Lea Wilson.  She is warm, articulate, experienced and positive.  She and our lobbyist, Charlie Brown, have a good rapport and successful work history.  I am super excited about her presence within our organization.

We heard from our lobbyist, Charlie Brown, on the current legislative climate.  We discussed in greater detail about realistic time frames, possible outcomes, and strategies.  This is a fascinating process and he is very experienced with all aspects of it.  This political education is a huge professional opportunity for the members of this organization.

We established By-Laws and a Board of Directors today that will serve for a 1 year term.  These positions will be up for re-election next year.  We appointed these persons based on what roles they have already been playing unofficially in the organization:  President- Rebecca Harder, Vice-President- Mary Dennis, Treasurer- Tim Zimmer, Secretary- Kristi Zimmer, and Board Member at Large- Russell Kolbo. 

We established dues for members today at $100 per month (roughly 1-3 colon hydrotherapy sessions per month).  This amount will decrease as membership increases and our effort for licensure is complete.  Members are people doing colon hydrotherapy or business owners providing colon hydrotherapy.  Associate members would be manufacturers of our equipment/supplies, product supplies, supporting professionals, or supporting clients. 

This is the most important work for us right now… increase membership!  We desperately need the colon hydrotherapists in the state of WA to step up to represent themselves.  There are certainly more of us providing this service than the 15-20 people that have been active in this group thus far.  We must band together to show that we are a viable industry or we will not win this fight.  NO ONE else will fight this fight for us, nor should they.  This is our profession and we will own it… literally; Thus the switch to membership dues instead of the potential of donations. 

We have received support from therapists all over the country (over $3400 raised at the IACT convention).  These therapists around the country put their money into the pot to give us a lift.  They recognize the importance of this fight to preserve our right to practice.  Individual therapists were coming up from tiny little towns in North Dakota and donating $100 to help secure our effort.  There are many stories like that.  Other states that have begun the legislative process are California, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.  We must all work smart to create a wave of success across the country.    

Our lobbyist has donated 1/3 of his payment to secure our Executive Director.   Others have given loans to get us started.  They believe in us and what we are doing.  Do you?

Stay tuned to the WAACH website for details on membership application.  You can also sign up to pay your monthly dues online.  www.waach.org

Also be sure to stay in touch with Lea Wilson, our executive director.  She will be organizing us and getting important information out to you all.  Answer her calls and emails, please!

This is an exciting time for us.  Our profession is going through its mainstream birthing process.  Imagine what the world will be like when people get colonics on a regular basis again!  What a relieving thought!!!!

Warmly,
Kristi Zimmer, LMP

IACT Certified Instructor and Practitioner of Colon Hydrotherapy