(rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

By Sheldon Spackman

Give The Magic

Local scholarship offers kids a chance at the performing arts

Feb 22, 2020 | 8:00 AM

A local scholarship aimed at offering families the chance to enroll their children in music or dance lessons is growing stronger each year.

That according to Christine Slaymaker, director/owner of Dance Magic Studio in Red Deer, who says the Dance Magic – Give the Magic Scholarship Fund which began eight years ago, has now grown to see thousands of dollars raised each year through its primary fundraiser, the annual Daddy Daughter Dance.

“We started selling little plastic bracelets that said dream, believe, achieve,” recalls Slaymaker. “We had an idea that we wanted to be able to support kids and families through the performing arts in a way that supported them financially if they otherwise might not have the means to do so.”

Slaymaker says all the funds raised through those bracelet sales went towards the new program they were hoping to support and grow in the years to come.

“When we started it, we had one of our long-time dance families approach me about providing a deeper opportunity – she wanted to get involved in a greater way,” says Slaymaker. “She said let’s do this in a big way, let’s do an event, let’s host something. Dance Magic has lots of kids, lots of families, let’s do something that pulls all of those things together, and so we sat on her back porch, drank tea and we dreamt up the Daddy Daughter Dance!”

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Slaymaker says the Daddy Daughter Dance held in January each year, not only provides roughly 350 girls and their fathers or male role models the chance to enjoy a wonderful evening together, but at the same time, provide thousands of dollars annually for the Give the Magic Scholarship Fund – a fund which has helped 115 families since inception.

“Basically, that money gets funneled right back into scholarships for kids,” says Slaymaker. “There’s an application process that’s detailed on our website, so any family that feels they are in need of a little bit of support to get their kids enrolled in programs, can easily reach out to us and fill out the application.”

“We encourage kids to submit some kind of video entry or some type of art piece to explain to us why they love the performing arts,” she explains. “Whether that be music or dance, we’re happy to pass along financial contributions to their tuition.”

Daughters and their fathers or male role models have the chance each year to take part in Dance Magic’s annual Daddy Daughter Dance – the primary fundraiser for the Give the Magic Scholarship Fund.

Cara Horsley, community liaison worker for Red Deer Public Schools, helps local children and their families connect with Dance Magic to access their Give the Magic Scholarship Fund. She loves how easy it is to access, and the positive impact it has.

“So many of our kids are limited to what they’re able to do outside of the home,” admits Horsley. “A lot of them have a lot of screen time at home, so to be able to have the financial support to be able to get out and do something that they might be passionate about, in turn we see more success at school because they’re able to have an outlet outside of school.”

Horsley says if kids are able to indulge in their passions, it brings many long-term benefits into adulthood as well.

“I just think when kids are involved with the arts, they just excel,” declares Horsley. “I think it helps with their confidence and their self-esteem and their connections that they’re making with adults and their peers. I think connection is the most important thing for our kids because that’s all we can hope for for our kids, is to have solid connections in their lives.”

Slaymaker adds you can see the difference in children that have those creative outlets.

“Just seeing the smiles on their faces as they come through the doors and watching them shine when they get to the stage and the confidence boost that it encourages in them,” she points out. “For so many kids, this might be the one thing they get to do each week. So if we can be a space that they’re excited to come to and greet them with open arms and provide a happy experience for them, we’re just so lucky and honoured to do that.”

For more information on the Dance Magic – Give the Magic Scholarship Fund, visit reddeerdancemagic.com.