Caring Clowns at the Kelowna General Hospital

Clowns bring Love, Joy and Laughter to children in Kelowna Hospital People in retirement find many ways to volunteer and give service to their community but one of the most unusual, and perhaps the most fun, is to join the "Caring Clowns". This group of men and women spend their volunteer hours in the halls and waiting rooms of Kelowna General Hospital, the Cancer Centre, Extendicare facilities and Senior Residences - or they would, if they had more members. Limited numbers mean their smiling faces are pretty well confined to KGH, but they hope to change that. The members of this happy group include -Peggy Kelly (Tutu), -Frank Dabbs (Dabbo), -Lee Kiddell (Sparkles) -Margaret Knoess (Marvolet) -Edith Wilkins (Pez) -Gloria Summerside (Tootles) -Trish Mather (Peppermint Pate). Dabbo said that he has never had so much fun, and points out that it is not only the patient who welcomes a smiling face and a listening ear, but the families of the patients as well. The hours can pass slowly in a hospital, and a friendly visitor who is willing to just listen and chat can make the time pass more pleasantly. Dabbo is also reassuring about the nature of the clowning. It's not loud razzle dazzle and noise, but a gentle knock and the query"Would you like a visitor?" Pez, like the others, is a firm believer in the healing power of laughter. It is widely accepted, especially in cancer clinics, that laughter is good health therapy and Pez claims that she has seen that through her clown's gentle eyes. She can't tell the stories, of course, because each patient's privacy is protected completely, but the knowledge that her visits do make a difference keeps her coming back, like the others in this colourful troupe. They make a special effort for holidays, so for Valentine's they were handing out little bags of candy hearts, and red paper roses. They bring treats for every special occasion and it was wonderful to see the faces of the children who came shyly up to say hello. Language is never a problem here, of course, as every child understands the magic of a big red nose and a wide smile. This vision of bringing love, joy and laughter as a caring clown was begun by three Kelowna women in 1999. Diane, Vi and Lee had each collected some clown knowledge and experience and a Vernon workshop for caring clowns brought them together. After a few kitchen table meetings they were committed to their vision of bringing "Caring Clowns" to KGH. They got help and support from the Kalamalka Caring Clowns in Vernon, and set about creating costumes, learning makeup tricks, accumulating props, tricks, jokes, etc....the result was COCO (caring clowns of the central Okanagan) As the three became familiar faces in KGH it became clear that more clowns were needed. The demand continued to grow, and is still growing, and the clowns need new members who share their vision of bringing smiles to worried, tired, or saddened faces. 'Sparkles' says that they have many more requests for visits than they can possibly fill with their limited numbers. To attract new members COCO holds yearly workshops in Kelowna. The next one is planned for May 4-5. Expertise comes from many directions "Flower" the founder of Kalamalka Caring Clowns, "Petee" a Shrine clown, "Mary Pockets" a professional clown, Wayne Laurie, a mime clown. There is "Gummie" and "Miss Loosie" - professional instructors of Clown School, held yearly in Calgary. There is lots of help for the 'clown to be'. "Sparkles" and her troupe believe that their mere presence is FUNNY, and molds an attitude that make them a symbol of HOPE. They always perform their clown play softly, gently and quietly. They give a tremendous amount of love and strength through their gentleness. Their rock solid support is done with sensitivity. They all have BIG listening ears and WARM HEARTS which they share with all they meet. COCO invites you to join them. They have monthly meetings and workshops, and all the help a new clown might need. For further information call: -Lee at 250-707-0110 -Margaret at 250-768-0157 -"Squiggles" at 250-766-4514 RETURN TO SENIORS CHOICE . COM

 

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