09/11/2014
Hi Friends and Supporters,
Allyson here, Founder of Jest for Joy.
My esteemed mentor, colleague and good friend Professor Bernie Warren recently did a TEDx talk in Australia about clown-doctoring. I just watched it and was thrilled and very honoured to be mentioned and seen in video footage and still photos as my character, Dr. BB, who I created 13 years ago with Fools For Health in Ontario. (Yes, the footage is of me 13 years younger!)
Bernie called me a “very good clown-doctor”. I believe that I am, not because I am the most gifted performer out there, but that I am adequate and more importantly am extremely passionate about this work being done globally.
Over 5 years ago, with the help of some incredibly dedicated and motivated people, I created a clown-doctoring charity in Vancouver called Jest for Joy. We have worked for 5 years at the George Pearson Centre, a forgotten land in this city – a facility that houses 120 adults with acute medical needs who live there permanently. All of the residents are either in wheelchairs or bed-bound. Loneliness and boredom are key issues that the residents face. Jest for Joy had a huge impact on the lives of the residents, and the staff too, which is notable.
Over the past year, we have been in the painful process of folding as a charity. The Board of Directors and fundraising efforts became too difficult to sustain. The Board burned out. But the desire to clown-doctor didn’t. This past Spring, Jest for Joy was asked by Canuck Place Children’s Hospice to start working there once a month. They funded us for 3 magical sessions there and have asked us to help find funding to continue. But we are dissolving as a charity…who will still donate to us if we are now a small business and can’t write charitable receipts?
We have to have insurance to perform in health care facilities. And I think it is very important to note that we are not volunteers – we are performers who are also trained extensively in dealing with trauma, grief and health care protocol. We are professionals who get paid to do the work we are good at.
The truth is, Jest for Joy has been on hiatus all summer and I desperately miss it. The residents and staff miss us. In light of all the suffering that is happening globally, the world could use more love and laughter. I have been focusing on film and television more over the past year, but what drives me the most is Arts in Community.
When people find out I am an actor, one of the first questions is, “What have you been in?”. I could name some titles of tv shows they have probably heard of. But what I want to say is, “What have I been in? I have been in the room of a little girl who won’t see her 6th birthday, singing with her. I have been in the room with an old man, facing death on his own. I have been in the room of someone who has moved their face for the first time after a stroke because they were trying to smile with us”.
I want to make a positive difference on the planet and this is one of the ways I think I do it best. Please consider taking 19 minutes to view Bernie’s Tedtalk. You might learn something you didn’t know but above all, it would honour the work that is happening globally. If more people are aware of this work, I will feel like I have contributed in a meaningful way that has potential to keep growing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv_Y0CFJ_3Y
It costs only $3000 yearly to fund the clown-doctors to visit these two locations.
If you have connections with groups like Rotary or Lion’s Clubs or businesses that would potentially fund us to continue, please share this information and contact me.
For those of you who have contributed to Jest for Joy with your time or your donations over the years, my sincerest thanks. Your involvement made a difference in the lives of many people.
Thank you for reading this.
Allyson
Founder and Artistic Director
