By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
First he brings them in with contact juggling, a form of manipulation where the objects appear suspended.
‘From there, like Dragon on the Lake, I build the crowds, build them up, build them up, build them up.?
Then he pulls out the final act of his street magic performance: the metaphorical straight jacket escape.
And that’s where he hits the crowd with his message.
‘By chasing your own dreams and empowering yourself, nothing is impossible,? Anthony Grupido, a 19-year-old magician and entrepreneur, said. ‘There is no greater magician than yourself.?
It took almost hitting bottom for the Lake Orion High School graduate to understand his message.
A serious injury prevented him from pursuing a wrestling career after high school, and Grupido spiraled into depression.
While receiving therapy from Common Ground, a resource and crisis center located in Pontiac, Grupido realized magic was the one thing that still made him happy, and he began performing local magic shows.
As his reputation grew, along with his confidence, Grupido took action . He set off to raise awareness for mental health illnesses through a national magic tour in 2013 with his own positive approach’speak up.
?’Some people feel that mental illness is something that you can’t talk about,? he said. ‘That it’s wrong, or weird or not okay. I’m not afraid to break that stigma,? he said.
He plans on doing this with his second Mental Illness Awareness Tour, with plans to set off on?’Nov. 12.???
The 2014 tour will take Grupido and two assistants from Lake Orion to Des Moines, Iowa, to Denver, Colorado, and finally to Las Vegas where Grupido will reach out to people who feel alone and suffer from depression.
Using his motivational speech, he will provide the name and numbers of local agencies ready to help people help themselves, as Grupido did by chasing his dreams.
‘It’s not always a bad thing to get shaken up every once in a while,? Grupido says in his speech, which he has performed at the Lake Orion Dragon on the Lake Festival, and other conventions. ‘You have to remind yourself that at the hardest times in our lives we have to keep looking forward.?
Since his first national tour in 2013 Grupido’s efforts have been published in several magic magazines, he auditioned for the reality show America’s Got Talent, and he became a motivational ambassador for Common Ground.
‘I am always looking for speakers who have moved from crisis to hope and Anthony has a great combination of talent, passion and drive,? said Reggie Harrison, advancement specialist and Crisis to Hope facilitator at Common Ground. ‘His straight jacket presentation is a powerful metaphor and connects to people of all ages.?
Most recently he performed his straight jacket routine for one of Common Ground’s largest fundraisers, the Legacy of Hope Breakfast Benefit on Oct. 21in Bloomfield Hills. The fundraiser shared personal stories of people who Common Ground has assisted, and raised close to $125,000.
While on tour Grupido will pursue locations where his message can reach homeless people affected from mental illnesses, as well as perform in large public squares, and if accessible, at schools for student presentations.
His trick is to be spontaneously open.??
‘If I have 600 people in front of me who aren’t expecting me to bring up mental illness and my story, it catches them off guard. That’s what breaks the stigma,? he said. ‘I want to give people their own tools and their own insight to recognize, hey, maybe I have a mental illness, and this is how I get over it.?
While Grupido funded much of his first trip in 2013 out of pocket, only raising a couple hundred dollars, he hopes the community will step up once again for his efforts.?
Through an online account called FundAnything community members can select from various payment options to help Grupido on his pilgrimage.??
Many of the payment options provide perks to the donators, such as personal magic lessons and shows, posters and autographed strait jackets.
Grupido will leave’Nov. 12’with or without funding with the plan to make something bigger out of his tour.
With professional photography and video equipment, Grupido’s goal is to gather enough interviews and footage to make a short documentary film expressing his message.??
The motivational video could then be played at schools, conferences or other presentations, Grupido said, to continue breaking the stigma and raising awareness.
‘There is something everyone can do about it. It’s exactly what I am doing, speaking up. I can?’honestly say I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t go after my dream of becoming a world renowned magician.?
You can donate to Grupido’s trip by logging on to a personal facebook account and searching ‘Anthony Grupido?, or ‘Handsleight? and selecting’https://fundanything.com/en/campaigns/mental-illness-awareness-tour/donations.