DENNIS SPECHT, LMT
232 Hillhouse Avenue
Medford, Oregon 97504 (541) 282-3456
ABalancedBody.org & MiracleExpress.org ABalancedBody4u@gmail.com
RESUME of Social Change and Volunteer Projects
2020 to Present - Coordinator; Makalu and Associates. An ad-hoc group of compassionate individuals working together to support the construction of an Orphanage - School in Khandbari Bazaar in eastern Nepal. This Project’s primary goals are the safety and security of homeless children in need and to address that Himalayan country’s low literacy rates of orphan children.
2018 to Present - Fundraiser; Maslow Project. Solicited matching donations from my business’s patients totaling more than $5,000.00 in support of homeless youth remaining in school.
Mission Statement: “Being a homeless child no longer means being cold, hungry or left behind.”
2013 to 2023 - Volunteer; Worked as a Wilderness Advocate and Educator with Alaska Wilderness League to conduct various Public Presentations on protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Arctic Indigenous Cultures at 3 County Libraries and in Classes at Southern Oregon University with a focus on constituent communication with Oregon’s 2 U.S. Senators. In July 2015 I self-funded a 10 day Research Trip and travel to Arctic Village, Alaska, where I also provided pro-bono massage to Villagers. In July ‘16, I returned as a Volunteer for the biennial ‘Gwich’in Gathering’ in Arctic Village.
2010 to 2022 - Provider; Returning Veterans Project, Southern Oregon. Providing pro-bono massage therapy for Veterans returning from the Iraq/Afghan Wars and their family members through an OR based non-profit. Participated in advocacy for the health and welfare for Returning Veterans.
2008 - Fundraiser; Ashland Emergency Food Bank. Partnered w/ a local food bank to solicit matching donations and food contributions from my business’s patients totaling more than $1,000.00.
2003 to 2008 - Volunteer; Project Helping Hands, Ashland, Oregon. Provided pro-bono massage therapy for multiple sclerosis and terminally ill patients.
2005 - Organizer; Northwest Medical Teams International, Inc. Solicited professional massage therapists in five Oregon counties to provide more than 80 donated massage sessions for returning tsunami relief workers.
1998 to 2007 - Organizer; Constituent communications to U.S Senator. Solicited and organized more than 350 letters and faxes to Oregon Senator Gordon Smith’s office communicating Oregon voter’s strong feelings against exploration and drilling for oil in the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. We further communicated voter’s desire that the entire Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be granted permanent federal protection from resource exploitation.
1995 - Lecturer/Researcher; University of Western Sydney, Sydney Australia. Conducted independent research into public and environmental health degradation in aboriginal communities due to uranium mining. Presented results of research to universities, schools, elected officials, community groups and the media.
1994 - City of Homer Official Representative; Pan Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Association Conference, Katoomba, Australia. Tasked with Presenting both U.S. and Russia Country Reports at this international conference held in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney.
1994 - Participant; Socio-ecological Union; Moscow, Russia. Invited to work with the largest non-governmental organization in the Former Soviet Union as a co-educator on environmental issues.
1993 - Organizer/Drafter of Nuclear Free Zone in Russia. Completed fourth trip to Russia where I assisted the indigenous people of the Nanai Region, which covers more than 30,000 square miles in the Russian Far East, to draft and pass this region wide Nuclear Free Zone Ordinance.
1992 - Panelist; Sixth International Nuclear Free Zone Conference, Yokohama, Japan. Invited by the International Secretariat to officially represent the City of Homer, Alaska. My Presentation, “Global Cooperation Between Local Governments” was based on my grassroots organizing experiences in Russia. Fellow panelists were the Director of the Hiroshima Holocaust Museum and the Mayor of Brighton, England. The Secretariat awarded me travel expenses from Alaska to Japan for this conference.
1992 - Recipient of’ Fellowship for Leadership Training by Advocacy Institute’ in Washington DC and was the Designated Representative of Pt Hope, Alaska Tribal Government. Attended the 10 day Training program and also functioned as the Official Representative of Point Hope, Alaska’s sovereign Tribal Government when asked to meet with Alaska’s Senator Frank Murkowski in the US Senate Dining Room on the subject of Point Hope’s discovering irrefutable evidence of their being purposely exposed to and contaminated by radioactive waste in a US Government experiment.
1992 - Interviewee; Radio Moscow. Interviewed by Radio Moscow on the subject of the Russian Democracy Movement. This interview was twice broadcast nationwide, throughout all 11 times zones.
1991 - Homer Representative to Bogorodskoye, Russia. Traveled with a contingent of 19 Homer residents to create a Russian-Alaskan Sister City Agreement.
1990 - Organizer; Homer contingent of “Soviets Meet Middle America”. Organized, fundraised for, and hosted the first four Soviet citizens to officially visit Homer, Alaska through sponsorship of a San Francisco based non-profit organization.
1991 - Lecturer; “Effects of the EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill”. Traveled to University of Colorado and other college campuses lecturing from the position of witness and victim of this major industrial and technological catastrophe.
1988 to 1989 - Organizer; Community Educational and Research Project on social, economic and coastal management impact of becoming a Navy Homeport. In response to the U.S. Navy’s announcement of its intention to turn Homer, a peaceful saltwater bay and fishing/tourist community, into a navy homeport, organized this project which explored options and alternatives. Project resulted in the creation of Alaska’s first legally binding Nuclear Free Zone. This local ordinance was enacted by a majority vote of residents.
1986 to 1987 - Organizer/Chairman; Homer Spit User’s Association. Helped to form this group of over 300 dues paying members, whose mission was to provide the public a voice in local affairs concerning the “development’ of public assets. This organization assisted local government in holding four educational forums on port and harbor issues and conducting two community development attitude surveys. The results of both surveys overwhelmingly demonstrated local sentiment that the control of public assets remain with the public.
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I would like to indicate that my extensive involvement in the issues listed above has been done entirely at my own expense, and that I’ve received no income from any group or organization, or any branch of government for these efforts. The exception, as explained above, was in Yokohama, Japan.
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