Glorious triumphs

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the toothy grins of newly-minted My Magic Hands magicians. Their smiles remind us why this program is so powerful. 

For the past three weeks, Magicana has been delivering a special version of My Magic Hands for the clients at Bloorview Kids Rehab. Nine clients met with our magicians twice a week, for three consecutive weeks. In between sessions, the Bloorview magicians also practiced their magic under the supervision of Bloorview's team of occupational and speech therapists. Today was their Big Show and Graduation.

The clients are referred to the program by their therapists with specific goals to reach. During the course, each magician chooses tricks to help in areas such as memory, speech or fine motor skills. Every magician has a unique situation and is works to overcome their own specific challenges. Some of them work from a wheelchair, or some may only have the use of one hand. So you can imagine, even the simplest steps - such as taking a rope out of a pocket or spreading a deck of cards - require our Bloorview magicians to work hard to problem-solve and most importantly, practice, practice and practice! 

And did they ever!

Today, our performers not only performed in front of a group of 50 people, they also stole the hearts of the audience. Each Bloorview magician got up in front of the audience and pulled off their magic with style and grace. Of course, they were nervous and had lots of stage fright, but they all met the challenge and triumphantly walked off stage as "magicians". With the help of some of Bloorview's technical wizardry, everyone had a great view of the performers projected on screen. One magician even sent in her performance by video because she was discharged just before The Big Show and was settling back into school.


It was particularly moving to have one young magician spontaneously thank the audience for attending and then singled out her therapists for their help to get her to the stage. When this young lady joined the program, she was struggling with speech goals. Today she spoke so articulately that she moved some of the audience to tears. 

We congratulate all of the magicians for their outstanding work. We also stand in awe of the magical team at Bloorview. The dedication we saw at Bloorview continually inspires!

None of this magic would have been possible without funding support from Slaight Communications. We thank our sponsor for allowing us to share wonder!

Magic Makes A Difference

Magicana was honoured to be a part of a recent fundraising event by The Stephen Leacock Foundation for Children - a foundation dedicated to helping disadvantaged youth. One of its primary activities is hosting annual dinners for members of The Leacock Club. The Club, more than anything, is a community of sensibilities; a gathering of people from different walks of life that looks at the world in the same way and takes pleasure in the same things. More importantly, members raise significant awareness, funds and resources to aid children and children's programs in Toronto and as far away as Whittlesea in South Africa.

Magicana's Executive Director, Julie Eng and its Artistic Director, David Ben - a long-time member and supporter of the Leacock Club - were invited to sprinkle their magic at the annual fall event on November 17th and November 18th. It was hosted at the beautiful Auberge du Pommier in Toronto.

The intimate affair gave Club Members a chance to see the power of philanthropy and generosity as Leacock Club Chair, Peter Oliver, outlined the outstanding achievements that the Foundation has established in Toronto's own back yard and in Whittlesea, South Africa. Magicana is connected with the Foundation through programming in Toronto like the Homework Clubs where, in partnership with Havergal College, we deliver My Magic Hands.

Part of the Leacock tradition includes wit and good humour (naturally, with the Club's namesake being humourist Stephen Leacock) and now, a bit of magic as well. The Club likes to remind its membership that generosity feels good. And the world could use a bit more of it, too. What is wonderful is that the Club also believes that a serious cause is not necessarily a cause for seriousness and that laughter and fun nourishes the soul - a philosophy that Magicana is very proud to support. Magic can make a difference.

We congratulate the Members of the Leacock Club for their incredible work and commitment towards children's education and well-being. It is heart-warming to know that these future generations have such guardians watching over them.

Camping in our own backyard.

On Sunday Nov, 8, 2009 Magicana was thrilled to present "Bootcamp Magic" a one-day magic workshop for children attending Camp Oochigeas' Urban Camp.

Camp Oochigeas is a privately funded, volunteer-based organization that provides kids with cancer and kids affected by childhood cancer with a unique opportunity for growth through challenging, fun and magical experiences.

Magicana was honoured be invited to provide a custom-version of our children's program, My Magic Hands. We created custom "Boxes of Secrets" for each child and Magicana provided all the instruction and Camp Ooch Counsellors took the role of Magic Coach. The children were, of course, our magicians for the day.

The morning started magically right off the top: as campers arrived, they checked into the "magic station" where "magic powers" were created ... with duct tape, crepe-paper streamers and a lot of imagination! We made magic wands, supercapes, power shields and of course, magic bands of power.

After taking our oaths of secrecy, we rolled up our sleeves and dove into learning magic. Children learned magic with ropes, "props", cards, sponges and even a fortune-telling fish! It was a jam-packed day of learning and fun.

A highlight was the immense delight the magicians showed as they discovered magic (and their own abilities!) and watching how their counsellors brought out the very best in each child. And, being at camp, you never knew when a group of campers and their coaches would suddenly break into song! Magicana "retaliated" with random acts of magic.

At the end of the day, we invited family and friends to come and attend The Big Show where 19 of the children presented the magic that they had learned. Family members confessed to us afterwards that they were astounded at how much the children learned in just five hours. The audience applauded wildly as the children graduated with their "Box of Secrets" and "Certificates of Completion" in hand.

What did the kids think of the day:

"The classes were fun and the teachers were great! The Big Show was awesome."

"The Big Show was the most fun of the program."

"I wish that we could learn more magic tricks!"

"It's wonderful to learn magic. I love magic now a lot."

Magicana was very proud to be a part of something so powerful and inspiring. We were pleased to have Julie Eng at the helm leading the team with assistance from James Alan and Magicana volunteer extraordinaire, Joe Culpepper. We applaud and acknowledge the incredible and hard-working volunteers and staff of Camp Ooch for making the event possible.

It is wonderful to see that anything is possible!