Archive for » April, 2010 «
Perhaps you’ve heard the old adage, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? I believe this is true; however I think the essence first emanates from the heart. Afterall, it is from the heart that all actions spring. We are moved and so we move — first from stirrings within our hearts.
A hospital/caring clown or a healthcare family entertainer offers their gift of heart when they perform. Maybe they simply provide a gentle presence at the bedside of a very sick patient, or nearby grieving family members…
Amidst the dull sameness, wrapped in cold and uncertain air in a sterile atmosphere, the hospital or healthcare performer finds the place to do their important work from within their heart.
It is there, on the world’s smallest stage — between performer and patient, that an act debuts. It is performed especially for the audience — one person, for this moment in time. It will never be repeated exactly the same — ever again.
But the memory of it will be held forever in the hearts of the patient and the entertainer.
That’s the beauty of it.
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By the way — May 2nd is World Laughter Day — how do you plan to celebrate, provoke laughter?
Don’t miss a thing! Lots going on around here — by signing up, we’ll keep you updated — click this link here
- AATH 2010 Conference Clowning Outreach
What a thrill, honor and privilege to be a featured speaker-presenter at the 23rd annual Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) Conference in Disneyland April 22-25!
With my years (since 1997) in the aspect of Applied Humor Therapy in the healthcare setting, the Tribute to Norman Cousins, was especially meaningful. A true visionary, he is credited with being the forerunner in this aspect, first treating his painful health condition with doses of humor, long before contemporary thought recognized and embraced this powerful, effective therapy.
My presentation topic was based on my AHeart4Clowning book: Establishing a Hospital Clown or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group — with an add-on: Train, Prepare, Equip and Promote!
It was gratifying to present to a wonderful group of interested participants from all over the world, encouraging them in their efforts of applying healing humor in the healthcare setting.
The conference provides tremendous educational and networking opportunities. It was great to meet and share with others in this field! I really enjoyed hearing about their programs and the free-flow of shared ideas from every direction!
In addition, I was pleased to help with the traditional AATH Clowning Outreach with the talented, witty and way-fun Danny Donuts and Magic’s Royal Duke Sammy Cortino added some magic to our visit! You can see a part of our group pictured here. It was a fabulous experience…
Held in April as part of the global celebration of Humor Month, the AATH Conference draws participants from around the world. For more information about AATH, click this link (here)
Are you planning a program on Applied Humor Therapy in the Healthcare Setting, or do you want to establish a Healthcare Humor Program? I am available and currently booking speaking engagements on a variety of topics, and would welcome the opportunity to connect with you and discuss your program. Please contact me using this online form (linked here)
Miles of Smiles: Becky Cortino
Are you a hospital clown, caring clown or healthcare entertainer?
You are invited and encouraged to please take our short Hospital Clown/Healthcare Performer Survey to tell us your thoughts, and about what you do at your facility. All respondents remain anonymous and no personal information is required to participate.
Here is the link for our short survey: Click this link here for the survey
As most folks in this venue, I am a volunteer. I am not paid for hospital visitations or performances I have freely given since 1997, nor am I salaried to coordinate, or for any ongoing training I have provided the hospital group I’ve been honored to serve as coordinator for since 2003. I do not have a trunkload of supplies and gadgets to sell you. No fees are collected to maintain this site or any related community groups – so know I am fully-vested in my global mission to encourage more hospital humor programs globally.
Why am I offering this Survey?
As part of building-community, I would like to know what you think, and more about the kind of work you do. Your input is important and your thoughts are appreciated — I know you are as driven by your passion, as I am!
Click this link here for our short survey
Tell us what you think… what you do at your facility…
As always, if you have a question, a referral or need help in your area, please use the Contact Form and drop me a note. I look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you for your thoughts 
Healing Humor Buttons are great visual reminders of the importance and need for Humor in every day. Sporting a fresh design, these cool buttons feature an eye-catching new multi-color ”tie-dyed” background with a spin-off of our traditional “Healing Humor” logo and saying.
These Healing Humor Buttons are great for everyday wear, as well as on Clown Rounds!
Just released this spring, we already gleefully announced 50% of all sale proceeds for each button sold is contributed to Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH), so this is a gift that keeps on giving!
Quantity discounts are available, making them ideal for:
- Training Sessions – Participants carry the message with them!
- Humor Programs – Attendees help spread the word!
- Humor Kits – For an added lift or timely reminder!
- Lagniappes – Special surprise and treasure!
- More!
Show your support and help spread the word for “Healing Humor” as a Way of Life — NOT a Band Aid, by wearing your “Healing Humor” button, along with a smile!
For details and maybe snag one of your own, click on this link for: HealingHumorButtons
Michael Christensen, Founder of Big Apple Circus Clown Care
All eyes will be on Center Ring at AHeart4Clowning TalkRadio Show on Wednesday, May 12th 1:00PM EDT, for a very special interview with Michael Christensen, Co-Founder and Creative Director of the Big Apple Circus and Founder of Big Apple Circus Clown Care. Big Apple Circus Clown Care, acknowledged as the first and original hospital clowning program in the world, was launched in 1986. The program is based on Michael’s desire to provide a unique service to children undergoing treatment in pediatric facilities. He will share his insights on hospital clowning and entertaining in the healthcare setting.
He has taught workshops all over the world in the new profession of hospital clowning, which his work has inspired. He has also lectured to the medical communities of the nation’s major pediatric hospitals. For his work with Clown CareSM, Michael has received the Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award, the Red Skelton Community Service Award, the Golden Nose award from the Northeast Clown Convention, the Parenting Achievement Award from Parenting magazine, and was inducted into the Ambassador David M. Walters International Pediatric Hall of Fame.
The show airs live at 1:00PM EDT Thursday, May 12th, will be recorded and available for download from the show archive. Tune in for insight and inspiration!
You can set a “show reminder” and listen online here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aheart4clowningtalkradio/2010/05/12/big-apple-circus-clown-care-with-michael-christensen
Listen to the show streaming L-I-V-E, or catch this show after the broadcast, from the archive.
Put your best clown foot forward!
Clown shoes are the finishing touch to a well-designed look. In the hospital or healthcare setting, a costume as well as the shoes should be scaled-down to fit the venue or performance space.
Often in the hospital setting, the majority of entertaining is done on the world’s smallest stage — one-on-one at the patient’s bedside. This means traditional oversized clown shoes are usually inappropriate — possibly even hazardous with the maze of cords, tubes and equipment surrounding the performance area.
There are many ways to put your best clown foot forward – with color and style, while not breaking your piggy bank in doing so! One of the coolest solutions we have found is shopping online with “6pm,” a division of Zappos. They feature an incredible array of shoes and great buys!
Sneakers and athletic shoe styles offer colorful choices, different styles and prices. Based on our experience, we have found Converse high-tops and regular-style athletic shoes in some amazing colors, designs and combinations to be just the ticket for our clowns and characters.
Hygiene is always a concern in the healthcare setting, so it is important the shoes are also easily washable.
In addition to a great, fresh and fun look, the added benefit to the performer wearing these shoes is comfort. In the hospital, entertainers do a lot of walking on Clown Rounds!
Here is the link for 6pm.com: http://6pm.com
This site is so cool! To help you make a selection, a useful “search” feature helps you narrow your choice down, from their ever-refreshing voluminous inventory!
A Word to the Wise: if you find a shoe you like, be sure to purchase it when you see it. This site features super deals, with the aim to sell, so the inventory moves quickly. Otherwise, you may be disappointed to find the size and style you wanted is no longer available.
How about you? Have you discovered or used a clever way to create clown shoes for your clown or character? Please leave a comment and share with us what you did…
Please NOTE: The “6pm.com” and “Zappos” websites are NOT an affiliate links. Absolutely NO funds, referral credits or money is generated by your transaction, if you click through. This TIP is provided, with the hope that it is useful information, and heartfelt desire to help equip, the whole reason for this website…
Here is the link for 6pm.com: http://6pm.com
New Design!
As the world grows increasingly gray, the need for humor in every day life is paramount… recognizing the need and seeking out ways to enahance your life by adding your own special blend of humorous ingredients offers health-boosting benefits, as well as making your world brighter!
Discover the positive health benefits of humor, how to administer generous doses of humor, in every day, for a happier healthier life!
Now available in your choice of 2 convenient forms, with a beautifully redesigned cover:
#1: A self-paced Healing Humor online course with immediately available downloadable materials allows attendees to listen to audios at their convenience, enjoy EBooks and printables immediately! The course is presented in 5 separate audio segements, with related downloadables, all available online, to be listened to and enjoyed indefinitely, from the time of enrollment.
For more info: budurl.com/HealingHumorAudio
#2 Healing Humor: Live Happy – Be Healthy Audio CD, is a physical audio CD product that includes the audio portion (only) – for your own personal copy, and as a great addition to your Humor Library and resources.
For more info: http://budurl.com/LiveHappyBeHealthyCD
The backstory of Healing Humor: Live Happy-Be Healthy Audio Program is that it was written and recorded by Becky Cortino, as part of the “Creative Arts Celebration” held at Frye Regional Medical Center in April, 2008.
Breaking News for Healing Humor: Live Happy-Be Healthy Audio Program is the flashy, cool new design!
We’re celebrating the new bright art, lighter look, and the fact that so many people have been enjoying this program since 2008!
Blast off for National Humor Month!
In a post earlier this month, we announced the arrival of National Humor Month, kicking off officially on April 1st, aka “April Fool’s Day.
To help you keep the humor going — maybe even long after this month – we suggest a quick visit to the Official National Humor Month site! It features a lot of great resources and tools. We especially love the clever free downloadable posters!
How about humor in the classroom? The site offers 48 Action Projects and a teacher’s guide for National Humor Month.
To keep the smiles going, we are pleased to once again be offering our “Funny Smile Makerz Kit” — back by popular demand! Simple, quick and easy, “Funny Smilez” are a great fun reminder enjoyed by all ages.
What are you doing for National Humor Month? Do you have any celebrations scheduled at your healthcare facility? Seems like a great excuse to celebrate, doesn’t it?! Please leave your ideas and comments…
Injecting Healing Humor in Healthcare Setting
After I finished writing my first book, How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry Guide, my mission became clear and is very simple: I want to help further clown arts and humor programs in hospitals and healthcare settings globally.
That’s why I am especially excited about launching a brand new MultiMedia Webinar on June 1, 2010! Work of Heart: Injecting Healing Humor in the Healthcare Setting is a presentation comprised of 4 component segments, designed for new and established groups, based on my years of experience as a hospital clown, since 1997.
In this unique online program participants will discover:
1) How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group: It’s NOT Rocket Science!
2) Training and Equipping a Hospital Clown or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group: How to Train, Entice, Encourage, Over-deliver, Keep the Team Going!
3) Promoting and Marketing a Hospital Clown or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group: At Little to NO Cost, for BIG Results!
4) Sample Special Training Modules: Low-Cost Clown Arts/Group Performance How-To’s and Arts Enrichment Electives.
This online program is presented from a Grassroots (that’s me-and-you) perspective, based upon tried-and-true hands-on actual hospital group development and coordination, and a long-time career in marketing/PR and communications. It is a comprehensive information and media-rich presentation. Each segment is thoroughly covered, and is like attending 3 seminars on this topic – then leaving the conference with a boatload of resource materials!
Do you need a dose of inspiration and some encouragement?
There are many preliminaries and considerations that need to be addressed in setting up – or coordinating an established hospital clown or family entertainer group, as well as training, equipping and getting the word out about your group.
Downloadable and printable materials to use for your own group are included in this online MultiMedia Webinar package, allowing you the benefit of attending a conference on your own schedule, from the comfort of your own computer! The entire program may be viewed indefinitely.
This MultiMedia program is designed as an extension to the recently-published book, How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry by Becky Cortino.
My book served as the official text for the first-ever ministry weekend program held by Frye Regional Medical Center’s Charlie’s Chaplains’ Hospital Clown Creative Ministry in 2007, it was expanded from the conference spiral-bound version and reprinted in 2008 by Lulu.com as a bookstore-quality paperback book. It remains as the featured text on this topic. My publisher also selected it, along with my other book, From the Heart: Injecting Healing Humor in the Healthcare Setting, to be featured on Amazon. I did not apply for, request nor pay for that — so as you might imagine, it is a real thrill to have both of my books selected to be featured on Amazon by my publisher!
Although complimentary in nature, this webinar program goes well beyond the book by covering training, preparing and equipping a hospital clown or healthcare family entertainer group, in addition to promoting and marketing the group. It does not cover “How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Family Entertainer Group” as in-depth as the book, so is a recommended companion to this webinar:
How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry by Becky Cortino
Hope to see you in the program! Be sure to check the links for all program details: Registration begins June 1, 2010 when this MultiMedia Program officially launches!
More Info: About Becky Cortino, featured program presenter
This MultiMedia Webinar program available beginning June 1, 2010