The Magic Wand - January 2014
The
Magic Wand
Inside this issue: Who have you helped?
2-3
Days out with Magic Wand Fundraising Stories
4-6
This issue includes the final 2013 attraction fundraising league tables. I would like to say a personal thank you to everyone that has been involved in raising money for MMW, in particular the Charity Champions that have coordinated a wide range of events and activities. We could not have achieved so much without the incredible support and commitment of Merlin teams across the globe.
7
2014 is set to be another record breaking and memorable year. We have already received almost 2,000 applications for support, which is over double the amount we had received at this point in 2013!
Fantastic money-raising! Meet the Team Your guide to the MMW Team League Tables Where have you placed?
Happy New Year from Merlin’s Magic Wand! 2013 was an amazing year for Merlin’s Magic Wand. We distributed more tickets than ever before (over 36,800 in fact) to seriously ill, disabled and disadvantaged children and their families all over the world. We also made progress with Taking the Magic to the Children, opening two new projects and starting many others.
8-10
I look forward to hearing about all of your MMW plans and I am sure that together we can make an even bigger difference in 2014.
Sandra Hazel - Charity Manager
Taking the Magic to Germany! At the end of 2013 we opened our latest Taking the Magic to the Children project. SEA LIFE Timmendorfer Strand chose to work with Kupferhof, a respite home on the outskirts of Hamburg. In Northern Germany there are roughly 10,000 severely disabled children who are cared for at home. Kupferhof is there to give parents siblings and the disabled child a break, providing sensory experiences, physiotherapy and relaxing rooms. Our Charity Champion at SEA LIFE Timmendorfer Strand, Natascha Spreen has worked with Kupferhof to create an incredible Merlin playroom for the children to enjoy. Natascha said “When I first visited Kupferhof I instantly thought that this should be the first Taking the Magic to the Children project in Germany. The planning of the project - getting the team and suppliers together has been quite a piece of work but MMW motivated me to keep on working on it. It has been a pleasure to see the motivation and enthusiasm of the team for the project and the growing interest in MMW activities. The opening of Kupferhof Playroom has been the most emotional opening of all exhibitions I have done in my 15 years of SEA LIFE career. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the children entering the room made me proud and happy. Every minute of extra work was worth it and a big thank you goes to everyone who has been part of the project.“
faces of the children e h t on es il m s e th g in e e “S roud and happy ” p e m e d a m m oo r e th ng i enter