THE ISPA FOUNDATION FURTHERS SUSTAINABILITY OF THE SPA INDUSTRY
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The International SPA Association Foundation is in the process of creating an endowment fund. The ISPA Foundation Endowment Fund will provide educational grants to foster practical spa industry experience and further spa-specific education.
“The ISPA Foundation Board has had conceptual discussions about the establishment of an endowment fund since the passing of former board member, Edwin Neill II,” said ISPA Foundation President John Korpi. “The Foundation’s purpose, among others, is to improve the quality and increase the availability of educational programs. The Foundation Board sees the endowment as an opportunity to do purposeful work that will help sustain the industry.”
The ISPA Foundation believes that sustainability of the spa industry, and the development of this endowment fund, will ultimately advance the spa lifestyle to further promote health and well-being. This fund will also meet the Foundation’s mission of improving and enhancing the value of the spa experience. With the number of spas in the U.S more than doubling from 2000 to 2004 and the amount of spa-goers at record levels, this mission is greater than ever.
The ISPA Foundation is creating a task force to carefully develop every aspect of the endowment fund to ensure that it has a positive and significant impact on the future of the spa industry. The endowment fund is in a conceptual stage, though has generated both support and interest. Once established, the Foundation will formally reach out to the industry and clearly define the endowment fund and the ways to become involved. The Foundation’s goal is to formally unroll the endowment fund at the 2006 ISPA Conference & Expo, Nov. 6 – 9, in Las Vegas.
About the ISPA Foundation
The International SPA Association Foundation is the 501(c)3 foundation of the International SPA Association and was created in 1999 to serve the educational and research needs of the spa industry.
The ISPA Foundation’s mission is to improve and enhance the value of the spa experience; its vision is to advance spa culture to sustain health and well-being. The ISPA Foundation’s objectives include being the educational source for the spa industry, establishing definitive research that validates spa industry related topics and creating an endowment that sustains the ISPA Foundation in perpetuity. Additional details on the ISPA Foundation, as well as ISPA, can be found online at http://www.experienceispa.com/cms/cms/articles/.