Archive for the Category »Most Memorable Moment «
Did you ever wonder what Patch Adams was really like? Would you like to catch a glimpse of his 110-acres in West Virginia, where he is beginning construction of his 40-bed free-care rural community hospital, a long-held dream at the Gesundheit Institute? This short documentary preview clip distributed by Bullfrog Films gives a peek…
I was very fortunate to personally speak with Patch Adams after my first book was published. He so very kindly called to congratulate me on it. His words were deeply meaningful, and his thoughtfulness is forever treasured.
Hearing Patch’s positive, encouraging words for my book and work mean so much to me, and remain a “Most Memorable Moment.”
Through the implementation of his ideas of applied humor therapy in the healthcare setting, I believe he paved the way for many of us to be able to share laughter and to “be” Joy (his words) in that venue — an environment crying out for it!
It is my sincere hope through my efforts here, my books, AHeart4Clowning TalkRadio Show, Humor Bit-TV, and multimedia training programs, will encourage more healthcare humor programs, while also supporting existing programs everywhere — to keep injecting humor in the healthcare setting.
Read about friend Robbo’s Humanitarian Clowning Trip with Patch Adams to Russia:
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Laguna Woods Caring Clowns
Clowning in An Adult Day Care Facility
by Bubbles the Clown
“The clowns are here” are the words spoken as the Caring Clowns from Laguna Woods Senior Clown Alley joyfully enter the South County Day Care facility for adults. Excitement begins to fill the air. At the instant those words are spoken, the senior citizens are engaged in the monthly entertainment that the clowns provide. A lively march played on kazoos, greets the participants in the day care program. Waves, enthusiastic smiles, giggles and laughter spread throughout the room, as the participants enjoy the bright colors and fun costumes, while clowns parade around the room shaking hands and greeting each one.
Laguna Woods Senior Clown Alley is located in Laguna Woods, California and is a volunteer alley made up of senior citizens. There are approximately 50 clowns in the alley. We participate in community events, fundraisers, hospital visits, and entertain at the South County Day Care facility. The center serves around 80 senior citizens who enjoy the socialization and activities that they receive at the facility. Our caring clown troupe consists of about 13 clowns who have dedicated themselves to giving something back to these delightful senior citizens. Our goal is to bring joy to our audience and also give them opportunities to interact and exercise and have some fun times going down memory lane.
The clowns prepare a new program each month and try to plan around a theme related to holidays or seasons. For example, the April theme was about spring. We had fun with songs like Singing In the Rain, Easter Parade, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. We did a rainbow skit and pulled out a long rainbow streamer that stretched across the room. December was especially fun when we sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and then transformed everyone into Rudolph by giving red noses to all.
Our program has increased from being just a kazoo band to now including skits, games, exercises and of course, singing. Clowns enter playing and singing the song of the month and we also exit with the same song. After making our grand entrance, we introduce ourselves clown style and sing the well-known “The More We Get Together” We usually sing each song twice because we found it helps with participation. We include games like the Freeze Game, Name That Tune and short skits. Puppets are always a big hit too.
After we have completed the theme, we conclude with requested old favorites. Almost always, Take Me Out To The Ball Game is requested. We sing it twice and as we do, we toss around huge trash bags that have been blown up and tied like a balloon. They love to keep those huge balloons up in the air and tossed around the room. The program ends with the song of the month and waving goodbye, blowing kisses and promises to be back next month.
After the clowns exit, we quickly reflect on the glow we feel, we sigh happily knowing we have made a difference today…. and then start thinking about next month’s plans.
Thanks so much for sharing Laguna Woods Caring Clowns Senior Clown Alley’s joy-filled experiences with us Bubbles, so appreciated! In reading your story, I remember when your group began their Kazoo Band… I had the privilege and joy of personally meeting Bubbles and her husband while in California, when I presented on “How to Establish a Hospital Clown or or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group – Train, Prepare, Equip” at the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor.
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How about you — do you have some memorable caring clown moments? If you have a “Most Memorable Moment” story to share, please do! We’d love to shine the Big Top spotlight on you — to inspire others!
BabyCakes, Giggles, LorBelle
Inside the heart of a caring clown…
How does one convey the magic that happens when you interact with others at such a sensitive time in their lives and try to touch their hearts in a deep connected way is beyond the written word?
I find the more I give of myself in silliness, attention, energy, touch and laughter it continues to make a deep impact on the lives of others and myself.
As I get ready for the day to spend at Children’s Hospital to become my caring clown I am anxious and excited for the encounters and joy I am about to share with those who I will meet on my clown rounds. I find myself trying to think of some props I can use during the course of the clown rounds.
But once I am released out into the hospital, it just happens people begin to react to what they are seeing. My face, my outfit, my reactions and then we feed off each other, while we are experiencing this moment where we are mentally lifted out of the current situation into an environment of play.
A world of impossibilities and our imaginations are the limitations. We allow children, adults and staff to join us throughout our day.
A day at the hospital is filled with, in-the-moment encounters one after another, some blending together. At every turn another encounter, most starting with a smile or a wink or just a turn of the head, to see a clown in a hospital! Some are afraid, some are cautious, some can’t wait to interact, some are just observing but most see a different kind of energy coming from these clowns and want a part of this playfulness so it can make a difference for them for today’s visit or during the course of their shift.
Being a caring clown is so much more than words can describe. I don’t know of any other interaction between two strangers that can be more moving than this kind. The touching moments we share with others are the amazing results of what we do like the moment we were asked to come in the room of a little girl who was in pain, and needed to have another procedure that was inflicting more pain.
Once she saw us and we then began to interact with her, the medical staff was able to do their job with her being distracted. It seemed like someone just relieved her pain, and the someone was us. When we left, she was calm and smiling and the medical staff finished their task.
Then there are the many hugs we give or receive by the adults that just need to be comforted. These encounters are unlike any other I have experienced, they are so powerful and priceless to the heart of my being as well as those who are on the receiving end of our caring.
Deb “Giggles” Foy is the Director of Clown Angels, a group of dedicated caring clowns that share smiles, joy and love at several nursing homes and hospitals in the greater Detroit area.
Clown Angels: http://www.ClownAngels.com
Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful experiences with us Deb, so appreciated! In reading your story, I’m reminded that no matter how different our venues may be, in reality we share many common threads — sharing joy, smiles, love, hope… I had the privilege and joy of meeting Giggles, BabyCakes and LorBelle at FRMC Charlie’s Chaplains’ Skool ’10.
How about you — do you have some memorable caring clown moments? If you have a “Most Memorable Moment” story to share, please do! We’d love to shine the Big Top spotlight on you — to inspire others!
Debbie “LaDitzy” Fowler recently returned from a wonder-full clowning adventure in India ”International Clown Festival India 2010.” Here is a fabulous video about their exciting humanitarian clowning adventures:
In “LaDitzy’s” words:
“It was truly a once in a lifetime experience for me. When I began clowning about eight years ago I had no idea what opportunities and doors it would open for me. I just figured I would be doing some children’s birthday parties and nursing home visits, with maybe eventually hospital clowning.
But here I am – a world traveler and global entertainer. Haha. That’s a stretch – but still – wow, I would never have dreamed it.
The people I have met in my clowning have to be one of the highlights of this career. I only clown part-time because I care for three young toddler grandchildren full-time, and also have a special needs son at home. My husband has been great in supporting me in this endeavor and steps to the plate when I can’t be here – but he has some health concerns and I don’t want to ask of him more than he can give. So I’m content to do it when I can, for now.
India. It was the brightest of the bright and the darkest of the dark. We saw the most expensive home in the world – from a distance, and a few blocks away such poverty. People sleeping in the streets. The fact that we were able to bring laughter to so many was so humbling.
I really felt it the most when we performed for a large group of street children. We had bodyguards to keep them from us. I don’t think it would have been necessary. They were so well-behaved. Children are children and they love to laugh. They were curious but not at one time was I nervous of them. I wanted to squeeze and hug them all!
Another experience that I will never forget is when we performed at a school where there were a lot of orphans. The teachers had such control on those students they were afraid to make noise! I wanted to tell those teachers let them be kids! But I know they enjoyed us being there – so I was glad for that.
Another experience for me was when we visited a hospital. The reason they invited us there was to draw attention to the dire conditions and hopefully get more donations for the hospital. The people of India are such well-mannered people. Their customs, while different, are special to them. Serving cake by your fingers to their mouth was something unusual for me. But I understood right away it was an honor to do so.
Martin D’Souza, our host, couldn’t have been more generous in his treatment of us! We were definitely made to feel like celebrities. I could go on and on and on. I met Martin at Clown Camp in 2004. We’ve kept in contact over the years through clown friends in Winnipeg. Martin wanted to bring awareness of the art of clowning to the people of India. That clowns are more than a circus act! I believe his dream was realized and he plans to hold more festivals in the future.”
Thanks for sharing, “LaDitzy” — SO glad our meandering, Joy-filled paths have crossed!
For More Information (click on linked text):
International Clown Festival India
*Formed 3 years ago when Richard Snowberg announced that Clown Camp in La Crosse would be ending a group of us did not want to see this education, fun and sharing end…
"Robbo" with Patch Adams in Russia
Intro: It seems we hospital clowns, caring clowns, healthcare family entertainers, applied humor therapists and smilemakers are in agreement about the fact that we are very fortunate to get to do the kind of ‘work’ we do, that looks like play. We also get to meet and work with the dearest, most awe-inspiring folk as the patients and healthcare staff we chance to meet, and serve with fabulous team members in the trenches!
Sometimes, serendipitous experiences extend outside facility walls, as was the case when “Bubbles” and I had the opp to meet up with “Robbo” right here on AHeart4Clowning.com! She shared her clown heart with us, and we were thrilled to hear of her decision to follow her dream to go on a humanitarian trip with Patch Adams to Russia. I was immeasurably blessed (as several others), to receive “updates” from “Robbo” as she prepared for her trip, throughout her adventure, and back home again. We had discussed the possibility of her sharing a peek into her wonder-full trip, because I knew you would love to hear about her experience. I am so pleased she agreed — “Thank you, Robin!” Enjoy, folks…
“My name is Robin Burg, clown name, “Robbo.” I decided I wanted to be a medical clown last year. I created my clown, took a two-day workshop with Hearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe in Needham, Massachusetts, and enrolled for 6 weeks of magic classes at Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. There are no hospital clown troupes in Los Angeles if you don’t belong to the Shiners’ for example. I am taking improv classes to help my clown, which I am enjoying immensely! Not as a clown, I volunteer at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital once a week. I also have done gigs for Children’s Burn Center, Friendship Circle and the Veterans Administration.
The most fabulous thing I have done was in November 2010. I went on the 26th Annual Two Week Humanitarian Clown Trip to Russia with Dr. Patch Adams! We were 30 clowns from 8 countries. No experience in clowning was required but there were several who clowned on this trip before, several who do medical clowning in their towns.
We clowned in orphanages, hospitals, institutes, a nursing home, a home for retired actors, did private home visits as well as clowned on the streets, at the metro station and in the metro! Russian medical students took a week off to clown with us in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. Our hostess in each of the two cities had us all over for dinner where there was dancing and performing.
On the bus, we were asked to sit with someone we had not yet sat with each time we boarded which bonded each of us to one another. I learned so much from Patch and the other clowns. This was a great way to jumpstart my clowning back in Los Angeles. I am no longer timid about being in my clown on my own in public. For example stopping at the grocery store after a gig gives me a real thrill! I have shown the album of my trip at the VA and to my Rabbi, which led to gigs at the VA and home visits (and later hospital visits) to shut-ins in the congregation.
This marvelous experience has magnified the clown that I am. When I look back at my life I can see that I have been working towards this my whole life. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to clown with Patch and the other clowns. I am emailing with clowns in Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Japan, Italy, Canada, and 6 US States!
Books that have been of help are: “The Art and Joy of Hospital Clowning”; “So You Wanna Be a Clown”; “A Heart 4 Clowning”; “Gesundheit!” and “House Calls.”
You can take a look at patchadams.org for information on opportunities with Patch.
Thank you for letting me share.
Hugs, Giggles, Peace and Love,
“Robbo” “
Thanks so much for sharing your fabulous adventure with us Robin, and your fav reads and resources — all appreciated! As I read your story, and remembered our conversations, I am reminded how small our hospital clown community is, in reality. Many outside this nichey-niche don’t realize that a lot of us really do know each other “in real life” as well as ‘in face.’
The Real Patch Adams: Did you ever wonder what Patch is really like...?
Watch the vid right here, click this link to view video!
“The Art and Joy of Hospital Clowning” was written by Jeannie Lindheim, founder of ‘Jeannie Lindheim’s Hospital Clown Troupe,’ now ‘Hearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe’ in the Boston area.
In March, I interviewed Cheryl Lekousi, executive director of Hearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe on AHeart4Clowning TalkRadio Show. You can read more about the troupe and hear her insights by clicking this link (here)
I interviewed Jeannie Lindheim on AHeart4Clowning TalkRadio Show in April. You can read about Jeannie, hear our interview, and her pearls of wisdom by clicking this link (here)
When “How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry Guide” was first published in 2007, I was totally thrilled to receive a very meaningful phone call from Patch Adams, with kind and encouraging words about my book.
How about you — do you have some memorable caring clown moments? If you have a “Most Memorable Moment” story to share, please do! We’d love to shine the Big Top spotlight on you — to inspire others!
I was the lucky recipient of this lovely creation by my friend “Recycle.” It visually depicts a busy year in the life of a dedicated clown and their alley. Thought you would enjoy…
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| This photo slideshow created with Smilebox |
I recognize some of these clowns and peeps! This vid brings back sweet-sweet memories of one of my all-time fav conventions! (COAI Virginia Clown Alley #3 was a totally fabulous host!)
Did you catch that decorated dumpster aka fancy-dancy ‘Recycle’ Bin?! I wonder if that was a creation of Recycle’s?!
Fun to Rock Around the Year with COAI Virginia Alley #3! Thanks so much for sharing these happy-happy times, and for your permission to pass the smiles along, Recycle!
How about you — do you have some memorable caring clown moments? If you have a Most Memorable Clown Moment story to share, please do! We’d love to shine the Big Top spotlight on you — to inspire others!
More Info: Virginia Clown Alley #3
…from Children’s Hospital Boston!
Healing Humor Memorable Moment: Beyond Imagination – Heartfelt Wish Magically Granted!
Have you ever noticed how children often teach grown-ups how important they are in their lives, and to appreciate even the smallest of things? A little girl’s deepest heartfelt wish was magically granted, as she lay in a cancer hospital ward…
Healing Humor Memorable Moments in Their Own Words: This episode features reknowned creative designer Richard “Design-O” Smith sharing a heart-rendering memory about a little girl — a heartfelt wish, following her cancer treatment — and how the little girl’s wish was magically granted beyond anyone’s wildest imagination!
More Healing Humor Most Memorable Moments — and More… http://youtube.com/HealingHumor
Performers sometimes must change their tune! On rounds, often -- if not always, patients inspire!
On rounds, often — if not always, patients inspire! They inspire the perfect joke, schtick or new thought. Coming from the audience’s perspective, this precious insight helps the hospital or caring clown, and healthcare family entertainer do their important work. You know – the ‘work’ that looks like ‘play,’ — as in Applied Humor Therapy.
Longtime entertainers in the hospital or healthcare setting have many memorable moments resulting from captivating folk they meet throughout their meandering journey. These stories and experiences leave indelible heartprints. After the chance encounter, we are never the same, and are immeasurably blessed…
We entered his room gently. He welcomed us in with warm resolution to enjoy this most unexpected visit. He propped himself up for a better view of the spectacle about to take place — that being our meager offering of a performance we tailor to our perceived patient’s receptivity and condition.
After introducing our clown-selves and chatting on a bit, we offered some random fun, as an interlude to the dull sameness surrounding him in his hospital room. My clown partner-not-in-mime plays song requests on her handcrafted kazoo instrument. Upon finishing her piece, he was visibly touched.
The patient shared with us that he couldn’t see so well out of one eye and was blind in the other. He concentrated hard on seeing us, and he heard us just fine! While he didn’t fill us in on what brought him into the hospital, he shared that the experience had led him to see things differently, now. In fact so differently, he knew major life changes were about to take place. He expressed his openess to these changes, embracing them as what he will do for the rest of his life. He shared with us that he did not know where this would take him in this world, but he would go and serve, and do whatever it was to be.
This really touched our hearts, because when we visit patients, they are usually in a dark place, facing test results, surgery, or scary medical procedures. What struck us was that no matter what this gentleman had been through, he was facing a Great Unknown once out of the hospital — and welcoming it! We had a wonderful conversation, and he shared with us his heart-thoughts and thanked us for what we do. He said it means more to others than we would ever know.
Words of patients stay in our hearts and minds a long time — they mean so much. To see a patient so bravely face a totally new life once discharged from the hospital after an obvious life-changing experience, is awe-inspiring!
Do you have a Most memorable Caring Clown Story to share? We would love to hear and share your experience here on AHeart4Clowning.com! Wanta share your story? For submission details, click this link (here)
Back by popular demand!
Tune-in to: “Humor-Bit TV” series on the Healing Humor Channel, first series of video interviews launched June 1, 2009!
The series features interviews with well-known Family Entertainers, as special guests: Carol “Holiday” Coleman, Tricia “Pricilla Mooseburger” Manuel, Tom “Tom E. Boy” King, Cheri “Cherri-Oats” Venturi, Candy “Butterscoth the Clown” Will and more, sharing memorable moments as related to Healing Humor.
Every episode features a one-on-one interview with a special guest, as they share memorable moments related to Healing Humor.