BGC Airdrie is raising funds in support of its programs with the help of comedian/medium Jennie Ogilvie and musician Amy Bishop this weekend.
The event on April 9 will bring out all kinds of emotions for the audience, Ogilvie said, who effortlessly mixes channelling spirits with her unique brand of humour.
“I think laughter heals as much as crying does. When I'm on stage, I’ll have this great connection and we'll talk a little bit about what it means for your life,” she said.
“Generally in a show, we can bust a gut dozens of times and we can cry dozens of times.”
Ogilvie explained that most people try to remember the funny or good times with their loved ones that have passed, and she believes that is important when channeling as well.
She said even for those who don’t get a reading during the show, the messages that are talked about and shared will have the audience looking inwards at how they’re living their lives.
“Energy is energy. That's really my conversation throughout the show – that it's not me doing this, it's just me listening to what it is I'm being told and encouraging people to learn to be in the moment and be able to hear and feel the connections that are there,” she said.
Some takeaways from the show will have people reflecting on what they’re doing with their lives and what they learned from the death of someone or the grieving process, Ogilvie added.
She said the message is also about teaching people to grieve in a more positive way and she wants to contribute to a death-positive society where death isn’t feared.
“You get these people that are hanging on to something for 20 years. How did that serve you and how did that bring you joy?” she asked.
Ogilvie has hosted more than 200 shows over a span of roughly eight years and feels the key component is that each show is different.
“The message is always different, it's whatever is on my mind, whatever I'm being told to communicate about,” she said.
The only request from the audience is to be open and share some energy.
The audience can expect Ogilvie to be completely herself, profanity and all. She explained the audience will be taught to use the middle finger as a way to show how much they love it.
One of Ogilvie’s favourite parts of the show is working with Bishop, who has eight albums and was on CTV’s The Launch, which is a Canadian reality music competition series.
“People that come to our shows say this is a perfect mix of what we do, because her music is just insane,” Ogilvie said.
She said that nobody does mediumship like her, and adding the musician piece to the show makes it just that much more unique.
“People will literally sit there and tear up when she is playing, between the touching music and what I do,” Ogilvie said. “She plays whatever is coming to her mind as well. It's not a set.”
This also isn’t the first time Ogilvie has partnered with organizations to raise funds. She said her show is a great way to raise money and it has helped communities with initiatives like building accessible bathrooms or a new playground, or funding a new community hall.
According to Kathy Ritcher, BGC Airdrie’s manager of events and volunteer coordination, this event is the first fundraiser of its kind for the youth club.
“What better way to come and have a good night out and raise some much needed funds for the children, youth, and families here in Airdrie?” she said.
While the objective is to sell out the show, Ritcher hopes it will raise as much money as possible.
“Funds go back to be used for all programs and services that we provide to the children, youth, and families in Airdrie and surrounding areas such as Irricana, Beiseker, Carstairs that we also run programs out of,” she said.
The event on April 9 starts at 7 p.m., with doors at the Ron Ebbesen Arena opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are sold online at bgcairdrie.com for $60 each.
The next fundraiser for BGC Airdrie will be the second annual spring market at the end of April.
