WOW, it’s really hard for me to believe that it’s been almost one month since my last blog post. I’m sorry that I’ve been out of touch. Things have been very busy. I was in Minneapolis for a series of meetings and made an appearance on KARE 11’s TODAY show – the highest rated program in Minnesota reaching into Western Wisconsin and Northern Iowa. You can see the interview here.
From Minneapolis, I went back to Virginia for a few hours before heading down to South Carolina. Our first stop was Manning and the Weldon Auditorium. I worked with Sandi Tucker, the Administrator of Weldon Auditorium. She had arranged for a full schedule of outreach with several organizations in her community.
The first day started with Healing of Magic (link to www.MagicTherapy.com) activities for the DSN Consumers (Disabled and Special Needs). From 9am until 2pm, I connected with almost 100 clients through hands-on activities designed to enhance their self-concept, increase their self-esteem, and improve their motor skills.
Angela Lucky, the director of DSN Day Services, wrote: “Kevin, I just had to email and let you know how much we enjoyed the workshop you did with our consumers. They are still very excited and are still trying to teach us some magic tricks! They all felt a sense of accomplishment after learning the tricks. You and Alan were AWESOME!!!! Once again, thanks for a wonderful workshop.”
After lunch, almost 70 area educators from three school districts attended a Hocus Focus workshop. They were there to learn how to integrate the arts into core curriculum and align these activities to National and Common Core State Standards of Learning. They came from various classes – math, science, language arts, and special education. As an added bonus, the South Carolina Teachers Association provided accreditation for those who attended the workshop.
The second day started at 9am with a Healing of Magic In-service Project for the therapists at Clarendon Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Services. At 12noon, I did a “brown bag” lunch In-service Project for the therapists at Tuomey Rehabilitation Center in Sumter, SC. Both workshops included physical, occupational, speech, and sports medicine therapists. The Director of Rehabilitation at both facilities was excited about exposing their rehab professionals to new tools that could be implemented immediately into their treatment practices.
Our time in Manning, SC ended with a performance at the Weldon Auditorium. We were the opening act for their second season. Sandi Tucker, Administrator of Weldon Auditorium wrote:
“What a phenomenal three days this has been! The Hocus Focus events were amazing to watch and the Healing of Magic was equally fascinating. Last night’s performance was beyond anything any of us could have imagined. The ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ and cheers of delight were such fun to hear. My staff loved working with all of you and raved about the ease with which you made decisions and adapted to whatever situation presented itself. All of you made Weldon’s Second Season Opener a smashing success! It will never be topped!!”
After Manning, we traveled north to Lancaster, SC. This was our second time on the stage of Bundy Auditorium. Jimola Wade is the new Director of Performing Arts for the City of Lancaster. And we were here opening event. The audience was fantastic and the local paper followed up with a nice feature.
Right now I’m writing this from Baton Rouge, LA after a very long day. It started at 4:30am this morning when my alarm woke me to get ready for a 5:30am appearance on 9NEWS THIS MORNING on WAFB in Baton Rouge….the day never slowed down after that!