RE: Marcia - Now Educational Standards

February 12, 2010

Dear Marcia,

Good evening! I have been following this thread of " brashing " from you on

different groups for about 10 years. You are a wonderful person whom I

respect and admire. I have briefly met you about 10 years ago at the 2000

NAHA Conference in Seattle when I was still very naive about all of the

politics that goes on in the aromatherapy world. (I was impressed with your

knowledge and shop back then and I really do like your new web site.) I

live in Texas and aromatherapists are still few and far between. There are

more in Austin than in North Texas where I live and I know most of the

aromatherapists around here outside of the YL people since I have been an

aromatherapist for nearly 26 years now. I have since learned that there are

many wonderful prima donnas in our profession.

What I have always wondered is why don't you put your money where your

mouth is, rejoin NAHA and run for President of NAHA or join AIA and run for

President of that organization? Then you would have first-hand experience

of what is really going on and you could be in charge of making the

necessary changes for the betterment of both organizations. The rest of us

would definitely be here to support you in making changes in our American

profession of aromatherapy. Years ago I joined NAHA because I wanted to

make a difference and for a while I was able to do so.

The Jade Shutes episode is past history and it is time to move on. When I

joined NAHA I knew nothing about the internal politics involving Jade or

you or any of the others involved. I went to the conference to learn and

not to get involved in politics. There were so many people at that

conference that I had heard of on the internet and I was in awe of them

because they were getting to practice aromatherapy the way that I wanted to

go. I was very naive and gullible and didn't actually know what was

happening except that I wanted to learn more. I was a Pollyanna with

rose-colored glasses on. Today things are very different.

I believe that Kelly is doing the best job that she can at this point in

time. I am sure that she would be happy to talk with you about your

concerns and give you the answers that you are looking for. I don't know

the answers but I would like to see your questions answered not only for

you but for the rest of us. You are still a mover and shaker in our

community and your concerns need to be acknowledged as best and as

truthfully as they can. Also, why don't you call Lori Cantele and express

your concerns because we can't answer your concerns. Only the Presidents of

these organizations can do that. We can guess what they are thinking but it

is really better to go straight to the person in charge. You can get

answers and then share them with us.

Please take this email as suggestions to help us find out the truth and to

get onto another subject. Once you have found out the information then you

can report back to us. I am saying you since you have the most expertise in

this matter and would know what to look for. I don't know the questions to

ask but I do think that someone like you needs to start the ball rolling.

Please don't kill the messenger, I'm only trying to help.

Regards,

Rhavda Cooper Emison

Original Message:

-----------------

Marcia Elston Marcia

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:30:17 -0800

ATFE

RE: Re: Was: EO and pregnancy - Now Educational Standards

________________________________

ATFE [ATFE ] On Behalf Of

anew_kid4us

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 6:56 PM

ATFE

Re: Was: EO and pregnancy - Now Educational Standards

ATFE <ATFE%40> , " SUSAN "

<sueapito wrote:

>

> > Putting hours of education, etc FIRST is not an organisation that I have

any respect for. Any organisation that has any credibility should be

policing what their members teach and say on their web sites. If they do

not, then in my eyes there is only one reason for their existence and that

is to make money.<

>

As for the updates to the NAHA site, I know they just relocated the offices,

but you have to cut Kelly some slack. You need money and manpower to run an

organization. It appears that Kelly doesn't havea lot of support and is

tacklng much of this on her own. That's a credit to her passion and belief

in what she believes NAHA is or can be again. Before anyone casts a stone

they should wal a mile in her shoes. Many others would have just given up.>

I have to speak up here. Give me a break, Lora. Kelly has ben the v.p. for

quite some time before becoming president; she is perfectly aware of the

concerns that led to the exodus of members and perfectly aware of charges of

abuse of power and abuse of members. She certainly is not naïve. And, if

she is, then she is in over her head and should resign.

<With regard to organizations " policing " their members. That is somewhat

unreasonable as there are limits to what an organization can do, depending

on how they are classified. NAHA and AIA are not regulatory bodies and have

no authority to impose regulations on their members. There is an expectation

that members will conduct themselves and their business according to an

association's Code of Ethics and stated Standards of Practice. As for

policing an advertiser or sponsor's website, that it just not likely within

the scope of the organization. We spend a lot of time working on the

documents and statements of our organization to ensure that it is within the

guidelines we have to follow as a 501 ©(3) non profit. There are also

specific rules we have to follow with regard to items/language on our

website from the IRS of all places. It seems utterly ridiculous to me some

of the hoops we have to jump through and the changes we have to make to

appease some government office.>

Your last sentence here is appalling in your role as a nonprofit

administrator, Lora. It is by the grace of the US government you abhor that

your nonprofit organization exists and can operate tax exempt. The rules you

have to follow are there for a good reason; nonprofit fraud being one of

them. I hope you see the irony in your statement. Your remarks about

'policing' an organization seem absolutely ludicrous based on the abusive

behavior of NAHA reps in the past. Perhaps you do not have enough history.

That Kelly is now continuing to allow potentially fraudulent

misrepresentation now gives me caution about AIA . . . Don't you see, Lora,

that guilt by association is a very real consideration here. If you condone

continuing questionable (and perhaps fraudulent) practices (in your role as

AIA president/on behalf of AIA), it will reflect on the integrity of AIA.

If so, we have not corrected the past in order to move into the future

without questionable baggage.

<So while I agree with some of the statements made about ensuring the

accuracy of everthing said by everyone in any way connected to an

organization, it just isn't as easily done as it is said. It's easy to

criticize these organizations, but unless you are the one who filed all the

government papers and read all the rulebooks about what you can and can't

do, not to mention pay all the attorneys to double check tht you are

operating within the scope of how you are classified, one really shouldn't

pass judegment. I know there are things we wish we could take further, we

are just not allowed to.>

Of course you can't police what members do of their own accord, but you can

police official represenatives of AIA and assure that the official

information that AIA presents is accurate. Lora, I have been a nonprofit

administrator for the first half of my professional life; I know what is

required. Please don't whine about how difficult it is. Everything is

difficult; it doesn't mean you ignore or break the rules without the

resultant consequences.

Getting a little disgusted where this is going . . .

Be Well,

Marcia Elston, Samara Botane/Nature Intelligence

http://www.wingedseed.com

http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com

http://www.aromaconnection.org

" We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. " — Winston

Churchill

--

mail2web.com – What can On Demand Business Solutions do for you?

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February 12, 2010

Rhavda,

Very well stated thank you VERY much! Its about time people stop whining and

tap dancing around the issue and PHYSICALLY do something about it. If they are

not willing to ACTIVELY participate they have no business complaining about the

issues.

Again

Thank You!!!

Vicki

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

" sos79 " <sos79

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:06:42

<ATFE >

RE: Re: Marcia - Now Educational Standards