Looking back – what can be said about Dr. Clown and its laughter therapy in 2019?
All of us at Dr. Clown feel privileged, grateful and appreciative for being able to be one of the sources of laughter and joy in this world. Leafing through the pictures of happily smiling children, old folks, medical staff, parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, friends & schoolmates, that where the result of our visits, fills my heart with joy. I’m happy that each and every person who is part of our Dr. Clown program does an amazing job of changing sadness into laughter. Thanks to them and what they do every year, thousands of children and elderly can experience joy in places that offer very little of it, can laugh and play and forget about all their troubles, loneliness and fear of the future.
All this hard work, hours spend in pediatric wards, all the training, coaching, preparations, planning, logistics, communications would not have been possible without those whose support makes it all possible. A big thank you goes to all of our partners and sponsors, but especially to our dear friends at KAUFLAND – their generous support of our Dr. Clown initiative made it possible for us to expand our program to more hospitals and even Old Folks homes. Thanks to their contributions we’ve been able to train new clowns, which translates into more visits, which means more laughter and joy. So, from all of us here at Chance 4 Children, we’d like to say a big THANK YOU. You are making it possible for us to make this world a happier one.
Statistics for the year 2019
Individual clown visits to hospitals and senior homes: 419
Individual visits to pediatric wards and elderly centers: 1.270
Number of children & elderly cheered & cured with laughter: 14.761
Workshops & seminars: how to be better at what we do best
Being part of the Dr. Clown team requires special skills, talents and training. To reach the full potential of being a hospital clown and develop these abilities, our clowns are required to participate in regular, ongoing workshops, seminars and training sessions. Each one of those events is customized to give our clowns new ideas and new tools. Clowns use them also to exchange their experiences from their visits. It helps them to be better prepared for the unexpected and to be present, open and ready to be and to do whatever it takes to be a source of love, joy and happiness for their little and elderly patients. Being a hospital clown requires an ongoing education, a school which always teaches us new things and opens new opportunities to be better at what we do best.
In 2019 we’ve also been invited by the Dr. Clown Foundation in Poland to share our know-how, to pass on the training to our clown friends from Poland and also to learn new things from each other. We believe that international cooperation, exchange of experiences between clown organizations from different cultures and countries, can greatly enhance our skills as hospital clowns.
The Get-Well-Wish Card:
Every time I have a pleasure to put on a clown nose and accompany our clowns during their visits, I think of what could we give, that would bring back those happy memories of times we’ve spend laughing and playing, singing and joking together. During the last several years, we’ve developed specially designed coloring books, have installed customized floor games and thanks to the LEGO foundation, where able to supply all children’s wards nationwide in the Czech Republic, Slovakia & Poland with LEGO & DUPLO bricks. However, I felt that all of these efforts, as great as they were, still lacked a personal and unique component – something with a distinct personal touch. Out of these reflections grew the idea of the Get Well Wish Card! Now our clowns can leave in the hands of every child and elderly person they visit a most personal gift.
The Get Well Wish Card is not a typical card you can purchase in book stores or supermarkets, it’s a uniquely framed picture card specifically designed to slide a printed photo in (which our clowns produce on the spot), replete with a space inside for handwritten wishes for a speedy recovery.
The resonance to the picture cards has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve been receiving messages from parents and feedback from the medical staff, thanking us and telling us that what we do leave behind creates lasting and unforgettable memories of the joyous times we’ve shared with our new friends, young and old.
Old Folks home visits:
What better way to describe our visits with the elderly, then to ask directly those who visit them. Thank you Vendy and Martina! What you do makes a huge impact in the lives of lonely & often forgotten elderly.
Vendy (Dr. Clown team):
I am very grateful to be working with Chance 4 Children under the Dr. Clown umbrella. I like the fact that several times a year C4C organizes for us various interesting, thematic workshops and lectures, thanks to which we grow and learn how to be great clowns, but also great people. These meetings are always full of joy, laughter, great people, understanding and love … I visit seniors two times a week in two retirement homes, sometimes three. The old folks I visit are on average 90 years old. We play games with them, practice yoga in a circle and after that we sing folk songs together I play the ukulele and pass out different musical instruments to them. My little dog Marley is coming with me and this also makes them happy. Before I start, I shake hands with everyone, and when they leave, they always tell me how Dr. Clown visits, yoga and singing bring light, joy and love into their lives. One of the grandmother, who did not speak at all for some time started singing with us – the nurses said they had not experienced it yet. The caregivers also told me that some old people do not go to any other activities, just to mine :-). These meetings are always very rewarding, they teach me humility and compassion. I love to see, that when we sing, how happy they are, their eyes glow and they laugh … I even visit some folks who unfortunately just lie in their room and I chat with them, play them songs on the ukulele, sing and listen to them.
I also invite children from kindergartens to join me for visits with seniors, where together we create a big circle with children and seniors, we play ball games, sing and then together we do art & crafts projects at the table. These meetings are amazing, the children are cheerful and everyone is looking forward to each other. It is of great benefit for seniors, but also for the children. Some children say that they remind them of their grandmothers and grandfathers and that they like them.
When I go with my clown colleagues to children’s wards in hospitals, it is always a great pleasure for children to see us, their eyes light up, they laugh. Even their parents or relatives thank us, how wonderful it is what we do it, how important it is to them in these difficult moments. Even once we were gone, the nurse ran out and thanked us, as after our visit one boy started drinking and eating again.
Thank you again for making it possible for me to be doing what I love to do, giving everyone joy, love and laughter because it heals! 🙂
Martina (Dr. Clown team):
Visits to the elderly ward in the Kolín hospital.
When I was offered the opportunity to be part of these visits, I was very pleased.
Although I had no idea how difficult it would be, I felt a great desire to visit these places. Every visit is very emotional for me and I am always convinced that I am in the right place. It is a place where you can feel fear, helplessness, pain and loneliness, but also reconciliation with what comes.
Everyone has been there for a different reason, each with his own story. But they all have one thing in common. Little time left. Together with my partner we try to caress their souls with a song, hold hands or just hear stories from their youth. Gratitude for the touch, the time we devote to them comes back with beautiful smiles. They are smiles that cannot be forgotten. To light up the day or be a star in the dark – these are our visits to the Kolin hospital.
Thank you Chance 4 Children for making it possible for me to be a part of it.
Thank you for making the world, whether in hospitals or children’s homes, a cheerful and more beautiful place.
In closing
Our hope for the year 2020 is to be able to continue in our quest of making this world a happier one!
Once more we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our clowns, friends, sponsors, patrons & supporters. Believe us, without your ongoing help & support, all we do would not have been possible. THANK YOU!
Rafal Wojas
Co-founder, vice-president of Chance 4 Children & Director of Dr. Clown program
Kaufland CR is the general sponsor for the Dr. Clown initiative in the Czech Republic
