Fundación Jesús Serra and Fundación Abracadabra hold a new edition of their charity magic gala

"With the slogan “Magic in exchange for a toy,” the event includes the collection of new toys for children admitted to the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús in Madrid."

Fundación Jesús Serra, which will soon be called Fundación Occident, and Fundación Abracadabra have held their traditional charity magic gala for the ninth consecutive year. On this occasion, after having travelled to cities such as Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia in recent years, the event has returned to Madrid. The Capitol Gran Vía Theatre hosted the magic show on 16 December, and it was attended by more than 200 employees of GCO (Grupo Catalana Occidente) with their families, a total audience of around 1,000.

The aim of the gala is to raise awareness of the charity work that the Abracadabra Foundation has been carrying out for over 15 years through its shows and magic workshops. Convinced of the therapeutic power of making people smile in life's most complicated situations, the Foundation's magicians take magic and fantasy to hospitals, centres for people with disabilities and homes for the elderly.  

Since 2015, when the two foundations held their first joint charity magic gala, over 3,500 people have been able to enjoy magic and learn about the work of the Abracadabra Foundation. “Through the annual magic gala, Fundación Jesús Serra is emphasising its support for the work of these professionals, who give their time, altruistically, where it is most needed,” commented Fundación Jesús Serra Managing Director, Ignacio Gallardo-Bravo. 

The “Magic in exchange for a toy” initiative is one of the outstanding features of the gala, with the generous donation of new toys by employees and their families for children admitted to the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús in Madrid. “We are especially pleased about this activity, as it shows the solidarity of those who belong to GCO towards the most vulnerable groups,” said Fundación Jesús Serra Vice-President, Laura Halpern. Over 130 toys and 52 books were collected and these were delivered during a magic show held on Monday in the Hospital's own events venue and attended by the children who were in hospital.

Fundación Occident

As announced at the beginning of November, the Grupo Catalana Occidente foundation will be adopting a new name as of 1 January: Fundación Occident. The change in name is part of the process for corporate simplicity in which the insurance group is involved, and it will be completed with the merger of Seguros Catalana Occidente, Plus Ultra Seguros, Seguros Bilbao and NorteHispana Seguros into a single entity, which will operate under the brand Occident. As part of this process, the Foundation will also change its name to reflect the new brand.