Adam Blatch – Feel the Magic

Supporting Feel the Magic One Rental at a Time

Posted on June 21, 2023 | by Adam Blatch

We are excited to announce and welcome our newest partner, Alpha Car Hire

A proud Australian-grown company with locations spanning Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney, Alpha is committed to supporting our community along with four other charities.

Giving back to the community

“Giving back to our community is an integral part of Alpha’s company ethos. It is an honour to be partnering with Feel the Magic, and we are strongly committed to supporting them reach more families in need.” – Karen Radford, Chief Executive Officer, Alpha Car Hire.

Partners like Alpha Car Hire play a crucial role in supporting us by providing increased visibility, fostering collaboration and innovation, and facilitating employee engagement and volunteering.

These partnerships create mutually beneficial relationships that help us achieve our goals and make a positive impact in our community.

“We are incredibly grateful for the privilege and opportunity to partner with Alpha Car Hire. The support from Alpha will help us raise awareness and much-needed funds to support grieving children and their families. We look forward to collaborating with Alpha through events, promotions, employee engagement and volunteering and are thankful that our community can enjoy car hire discounts through this new collaboration.” Adam Blatch, Chief Executive Officer, Feel the Magic.

You can now book your car rental with Alpha Car Hire and receive an exclusive discount by using the code provided. We are thrilled to have Alpha as our newest partner, who provides exceptional service to all their customers.

As the school holidays draw near, it’s the perfect time to plan your family adventure and discover Australia in a dependable and budget-friendly car rental.

Take advantage of the exclusive car rental promo code: GIVEBACK to receive a 5% discount on your car rental with Alpha Car Hire.

three women and a boy sitting around a table. One lady is smiling the boy is resting is head in his hands on the table

A Guide for Parents with Grieving Children

Posted on June 9, 2023 | by Adam Blatch

Parenting children through the hard time following the death of a loved one isn’t easy, and there’s no one approach to help your children heal.

In the days, months, and years following your loved one’s death, your children will experience a range of emotions as they grieve. Here you will find a guide to help your children process these emotions in a healthy way.

Create Open Communication Between You and Your Children

Death is difficult to process for both children and adults, which is why we often struggle to talk about it openly. Although, starting these conversations with your children is a very important step in their path to healing.

Talking is a great way to work through complex emotions. Every child is different so you should expect each of your children to have different reactions to the loss of a loved one. They may not want to open up to you immediately and that’s okay.

The best thing you can do is to create an environment in which they know they can talk to you as soon as they feel ready. Here are some things you can do to help your children feel safe:

Be honest: When talking about death with your children, avoid euphemisms and answer any questions your children have about the death honestly. You may think hiding small details will protect your children, but when they find out the truth, there is a chance you will lose their trust. Being honest with your children will help them be honest with you.
Be open: Telling your children about how you’re feeling is a great way to start open dialogue about thoughts and feelings. Talking about your own feelings may help your children become aware of, and feel comfortable with theirs.
Give comfort: No matter how your children react to the death of their loved one, letting them know that you’re there for them and you love them will comfort them greatly. Offer hugs and handholding so they can be comforted without feeling like they’re being forced to talk.

Organise Activities To Keep You Connected

Organising family time is a great way to keep your family connected through your individual experiences with grief. There are many activities you can do together as a family, from movie nights to a bonfire, we have compiled a list of our favourite connection activities along with instructions on how to run them, which you can find here.

Be Kind to Yourself

It’s understandable to want to dedicate all of your energy to supporting your children, but you also need to focus on yourself as you’re grieving too. Grief is mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting, and to best support yourself and your children you should practice self-care. You can practice self-care by:

Making room for yourself: Allow yourself the space and time to grieve by taking time out and allowing others to take on some of your responsibilities.
Preparing yourself for others’ reactions: People are often uncomfortable talking about death, so they may become distant or try to comfort you with cliches. These reactions can be hurtful but try to keep in mind that your friends and family are doing the best they can.
Connecting with others: Social support is key to emotional well-being, so the best thing you can do for yourself is to connect with your social support system – they will be able to provide you with the understanding and care you need.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Although grief can feel isolating, it’s important to understand that you’re not alone – you are surrounded by a community you can lean on for support.

No matter where you and your child are in your grief journey, reaching out for help is always okay. If you need immediate help or wish to learn more about other grief organisations that can offer you support, we have created a list of other organisations that exist to support people’s mental well-being and grief. You can also join our grief community if you wish to connect with other families who understand what you are going through.

At Feel the Magic, we are dedicated to helping grieving kids heal. We have virtual and face-to-face camps designed by clinical psychologists and run by trained professionals to give kids and parents the tools they need to connect with their emotions and each other.

Our programs encourage healthy grieving and introduce families to a supportive community that understands. For more information or to register your interest in our camps, please contact us.

The City2Surf is back!

Posted on May 19, 2023 | by Adam Blatch

Date: Sunday 13^th August 2023

The World’s Largest Fun Run – The City2Surf – is back in Sydney on Sunday 13 August 2023.

It’s time to sign up, hit the pavement, and start fundraising for Feel the Magic. Join Team Feel the Magic, and our sponsor SDG, for the 2023 City2Surf and help raise vital funds for children who are grieving the loss of a parent or sibling.

The SDG Feel the Magic team is aiming to reach its goal of $50,000, but we need YOU to help us get there.

This year if you register using the SDG team registration (follow the details below), the first 30 people who commit to fundraising for Feel the Magic, will receive FREE ENTRY to the City2Surf, sponsored by SDG, along with a FREE Team Magic SDG Singlet and race bib.

Participants who raise over $250 will go into the draw to win a unique Feel the Magic prize, more details to come soon.

Follow the steps below on how to register for the event and start fundraising.

Step 1 – join the “Feel the Magic” team and enter the race here:

Password is: FTMSDG2023

Join the YELLOW start group (unless you are a serious previous runner)

Do not select any ‘extras’ in the process (our sponsor is only covering registration, bib & a race singlet).

Step 2 – set up your fundraising page and aim to raise $500 per person

Registration link is:

Start Fundraising

Then join team (SDG) and set up your fundraising page. We suggest a fundraising goal of $500 to $1,000.

When you join Team Magic, you are showing the world that you can help children face, feel, and heal in their grief of a parent or sibling loss. You will be helping them to access strategies and resources to help them grieve and to connect with a supportive community.

If you are passionate about supporting grieving children, then joining Team Magic and participating in City2Surf is an excellent way to make a difference. Register today and help more kids get access to the grief support programs that they need to heal.

If you have any questions please contact Sarah Askew, Fundraising Manager, on 02 4508 2025.

See you at the start line!

Feel the Magic and FICAP to bring hope and healing to grieving children

Posted on May 4, 2023 | by Adam Blatch

Exciting new partnership

We are thrilled to share with you our exciting new partnership with FICAP – the Financial Industry Community Aid Program.

FICAP is a wonderful organisation that raises funds for charities that help young Australians, thanks to the generosity of the financial services community.

We are deeply grateful to have been chosen as one of FICAP’s newest charity partners for 2023. With FICAP’s financial support, we will be able to reach even more grieving children and their families, providing them with the support and tools they need to navigate their grief.

Making a difference and reaching more families

At Feel the Magic, our goal is to send more children to our camps, facilitate more programs, and extend our reach throughout Australia. This partnership with FICAP will help us do just that, allowing us to make a meaningful difference in the lives of more families than ever before.

Adam Blatch, our Chief Executive Officer, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with FICAP, saying, “We thank FICAP for the privilege and opportunity to be selected as a charity partner. The support from FICAP will help us raise awareness and much-needed funds to support grieving children and their families. Our camps and programs provide grieving kids with the strategies and tools needed to live healthily with grief. We help children learn ways to cope better with feelings of isolation and loneliness that grief often presents. We extend our sincere gratitude to FICAP for their generous support and are excited about this new partnership. We look forward to being a part of their events and welcoming FICAP on our journey.”

Partnerships like this are incredibly important to Feel the Magic, as they allow us to provide our programs, camps and resources completely free of charge to grieving families. We are grateful for the support of generous donors, fundraisers, sponsors, and partners like FICAP.

Learn more about FICAP here. We are honoured to be working with this amazing organisation and look forward to all that we can achieve together.

Sharks Giving ‘From the Heart’

Posted on February 28, 2023 | by Adam Blatch

The National Rugby League Cronulla Sharks have announced its ‘From the Heart’ Giving Partners for 2023. We are thrilled to announce that Feel the Magic is one of four charity partners chosen.

The panel chose From the Heart to support Gymea Community Aid and Information Services, the Sutherland Hospital, Community Radio 104.1 CHY FM Coffs Harbour, and Feel the Magic.

“The Cronulla Sharks appreciate there are countless charities and not-for-profit organisations in need of support, however our panel of NRL and Women’s players, Great Whites, Board and community members have selected four extremely worthy Giving Partners for the 2023 season, with each to receive a high-quality experience,” Sharks Have Heart Community Engagement Lead Rachal Allan explained.

Financial support offered through the From the Heart partnership will go towards helping send more kids to Feel the Magic Camps.

Adam Blatch Feel the Magic Chief Executive Officer said “We are so grateful to be one of the chosen From the Heart charity partners. Their support will help us raise awareness and much-needed funds to send more grieving kids to Camp to learn the tools and strategies to live healthily with grief and lessen the feelings of isolation and loneliness that grief often presents. We are also hoping to attract new volunteers to help us run our Camps. We extend our sincere thanks to the Cronulla Sharks and panellists for their generous support and this amazing opportunity”.

For more information about Camps, research and resources, see our website and our Grief Resource Hub.

Luke Parker Joins Feel the Magic as Proud Ambassador

Posted on February 20, 2023 | by Adam Blatch

Professional Australian rules footballer and Sydney Swans co-captain Luke Parker joins Feel the Magic as a proud Ambassador.

Luke is an accomplished footballer with impressive achievements. He has graciously pledged to support Feel the Magic and help us reach more families who need us.

We were fortunate to have Luke at a recent Camp Magic. He said, “For me, it’s about being able to give back in some way… and to be able to help where possible. I’m glad I’ve finally been able to come to camp and be a part of what it’s all about”.

Luke was inspired by the Campers’ resilience, the friendships and the bonds created.

“To come on board and be a part of the whole two-three days was something I will never forget. There were some sessions that were really moving…to build a bond with your Camper and see them grow and see them create friends and become really comfortable in the environment is something that was really inspiring.”

We are proud and immensely grateful to welcome Luke to our Feel the Magic community. Luke joins us to help raise awareness and funds to reach more grieving kids and families.

Adam Blatch, Chief Executive Officer Feel the Magic said “to have someone like Luke who is generous with his time to help us, help more kids, is a tremendous gift. His energy and commitment to give back is remarkable”.

“1 in 20 kids who have just lost a parent let alone a sibling who don’t know this is available or who are dealing with things on their own, I’d love just to help anyone I can to get them to Camp. The experience that I have had is 99% of the kids have gotten something from this camp and have all said they’d love to come back as well”. – Luke Parker

Follow Luke Parker here. For more information about Feel the Magic Camps, resources and research to help grieving kids heal, see our website and Grief Resource Hub.

About Feel the Magic Camps

We have a range of face-to-face and virtual Camps to help grieving kids face, feel and heal through their grief, no matter where they are.

All our Camps are run by trained mental health professionals and developed by clinical psychologists and people with a lived experience of grief.

At our Grief Resource Hub, you’ll find parent and guardian grief resources, connection activities for families, books, videos and TED talks, plus other grief support services.