Rotary Meeting Tuesday July 9, 2013

This was Mary's first meeting as President!  And what a great job she did!!

Mary is changing board meetings on Tuesdays to potentially be a lunch meeting on a different day.  She'll update us.

Happy Dollars:
Indira:  summer
Peggy: Paul Stone is not well
Tom Idaho trip
Tony:  installation dinner;   women's basketball league
Jim:  for Marys presidency
Justin:  for Marys presidency
Ed:  for Marys presidency
Jeff:  vacation for 2 weeks
Mark:  induction and for Mary; Paul speedy recovery
Chris:  induction and for speaker
Marie:  cape this past weekend

Raffle: about 1/2 deck left.  Chris won and pulled the 3 spades.  too bad... (or good) :)

Speaker:  Cheryl is executive director of Hearts & Noses a Hospital Clown Troupe.  Chris met Cheryl at the dog park.  Tootsie is a female and Jasper (Chris dog) is a male and had an affinity towards Tootsie.  She grew up in Needham but goes to Newton dog park

Medical Clowning is different from a regular clown not about the nose its about the heart Their group just celebrated their 15 yr anniversary.  They have 16 active medical clowns in 4 hospitals and they visit twice month. It was started by a women who read Patch Adams (take clowns to Russia every year) and then traveled with them and got trained.

She said their focus is not on performance; focus is on the child in bed.  when they arrive in a hospital room, they stop,  take a breadth and ask permission to enter for children (scary to be in hospital; takes aways power of choice, dont eat, fun is taken away; stop learning; only medical).  Cheryl's speciality is going to the rehab hospitals (permanent disabilities brain trauma etc.) Tic Toc is her clown name (always time to play) asking to be with child. She ALWAYS ASKS "Can I come in?"
Aren't kids afraid of clowns?
Let go of ego; place someone else in center of universe 94% kids say yes to come in.  The clowns do improvisational play (training to find a way to play). The group has been at Spaulding rehab for 2 moves to now new location.  They find out what the child loves to do? If they used to play basketball, they improve that.  They also focus on empowerment (the 2 yr olds show the clowns how to blow bubbles) and integrated play group.. 

The clowns go to the children's hospital rooms in pairs in order to watch out for each other.  She told a story of a 8 yr old who was just diagnosed with spinal injury.  She found out she was celebrating xmas. As soon as the clowns came in the girl started to weep.  Tic Toc went in found out she couldnt speak and was crying because of that.  Tic toc helped her many times after that. 

12 clowns go to hospitals; 4 clowns go to events.
When they mentor a new clown it is for 1 year.
non profit; support training; buy insurance; medical director; board

Boston medical center - lower socioeconomic background Mass hospital school - canton Franciscan NWH Spaulding

Interested Donors can visit www.heartsandnoses.org or call 877-CLOWN-12