Become a Volunteer Hospital Magician Specialist with Bring Magic to Kids in Hospitals and give a child facing fear, isolation, and pain something they never expected: a moment of pure wonder.
“Halfway through the visit I was asking myself, ‘Why is this kid here?’ The mood in the room was completely different from when I first came in. So much laughter.”
– Volunteer Specialist
This is what a hospital room can feel like when you walk in.
A 9-year-old has been isolated for three weeks. She hasn’t been to school. She hasn’t seen her friends. She’s had more blood draws than dance recitals this month. She’s quiet. Guarded. Tired of questions, routines, and everything feeling out of her control.
Then you, a Bring Magic Magician, walk in – no white coat, no medicine, no more bad news – just a magic wand that you hand her. “It also makes a great back scratcher.”
She gives you a small smile.
Over the next few minutes, something starts to shift. A trick lands. She leans in. She asks a question. Another moment hits – and now she’s participating, not just watching. A few more minutes go by, and she’s laughing. Engaged. Fully in it.
And in that moment, she’s not a patient. She’s just a kid again.
And it doesn’t just change the child. The room shifts. Parents exhale. Care teams get a different version of that child back – more present, more responsive, more themselves.
That moment is real. Our volunteers make it happen. You can be the reason it happens next.
Find out training timing across Chicago, Cleveland, Ann Arbor; what the commitment actually looks like; and what it’s really like inside the hospital.
Find out training timing across Chicago, Cleveland, Ann Arbor; what the commitment actually looks like; and what it’s really like inside the hospital.
Bring Magic doesn’t hand you a badge and point you to a floor. We train you to become a Volunteer Hospital Magician – a specialist who can read a room, connect with a child, and deliver a performance that cuts through the hardest days a kid will face.
It takes commitment. It takes training. It takes someone ready to show up and learn something meaningful.
People who want to do something meaningful and are willing to do it well.
“I didn’t really understand what I had signed up for until that first room. Now, every trip I get to help kids forget where they are. There’s something really special about helping kids laugh in a hospital room. “
– Volunteer Specialist
“You don’t just learn how to perform magic. You learn how to show up and connect with kids. And then you get to make magic together and leave them with something really special.”
– Volunteer Specialist
This isn’t a casual training. It’s a selective, hands-on experience designed to prepare you for one of the most unique volunteer roles you’ll ever step into.
You’ll train alongside a small group of people who chose to do something difficult and meaningful.
Together, you’ll learn:
You don’t just learn magic. You become someone who can walk into hard moments and change them.
Apply → Tell us who you are and why you want to Bring Magic
Interview → We connect with applicants to confirm fit – for you, for our programs, and for the kids we serve
Train → Bring Magic University happens once each year
Get Certified → Join a community doing meaningful work
Bring Magic → Show up, knock on a door, and change a child’s day
Bring Magic University typically occurs once per year, and there may be a wait between applying, screening, and training. We encourage you to apply early to be considered – or, if you’d like to learn more first, you can get details on timing, expectations, and the experience.
No magic experience required. What matters more is who you are. We’ll teach you the rest.
You’re a fit if you:
“At first, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to learn the tricks. But it clicked, and I learned how to not just make magic but to make kids feel special.”
– Volunteer Specialist
They don’t know your name yet. They just know their world is small, scary, and hard.
You can be the person who changes that. All kids know a magic word – they just need someone to ask for it.
“For 5 days we tried everything to get a smile … it was the magician who finally did it.”
– Parent of a young patient
Can We Do This? #03: Volunteering
