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- Clowns Without Borders
Resilience T hrough Laughter Clowns Without Borders USA is an artist-driven non-profit organization that offers laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, especially children, who live in areas of crisis including refugee camps, conflict zones and other situations of adversity. Our Story I n July 1993, a clown from Barcelona named Tortell Poltrona was asked by a group of local school children to help some friends. These Catalan children had been corresponding with kids living in a refugee camp in Croatia during the Yugoslav Wars of 1991-1995. The refugee children told their Catalan friends, “You know what we miss most? We miss laughter, to have fun, to enjoy ourselves.” Tortell took his car and a small troupe of clowns to the camp, without any idea of what to expect. Hundreds of children and families greeted them—nearly the entire camp! The clowns performed to laughter and applause. And the children asked, “When will you all return?” Payasos Sin Fronteras (Clowns Without Borders) was born. Tortell worked his network of international performers and coordinated more trips to this camp and others. One artist who joined him, Moshe Cohen, was so deeply inspired that he founded Clowns Without Borders USA in 1995, while other artists began to build Clowns Without Borders networks in their home countries. CWB-USA is a proud member of the 12-nation international federation of Clowns Without Borders International (CWBI). In 2014, CWB-USA supported 34 volunteer artists who created 98 performances in six countries for more than 25,000 children and families. CWB-USA works regularly with chapters from CWBI. In 2014, CWB-USA collaborated with CWB France, CWB Sweden, CWB Australia and CWB United Kingdom. CWBI chapters combined to devise 83 projects in 43 countries that included 1,239 free performances for more than 355,000 children and members of their families. More than 600 artists have worked together globally to share laughter and joy around the world. We share inspiration, we catalyze imagination and we allow the kids that we work with a chance to let their minds just explode with whatever creative thing they want to do. And maybe, for a moment, they won’t have to worry about the situation they are in. They can simply be kids. Refugee community, Lesbos, Greece, 2015: Sabine Choucair Contact Clowns Without Borders USA PO Box 574 Blue Lake, California 95525 +1.707.363.5513 info@clownswithoutborders.org – Tim Cunningham, executive director of CWB-USA, 2011-2015 2 Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. Our Partners CWB-USA’s work succeeds best when we complement the work of other respected NGOs and local organizations in serving the needs of children and families. In addition to partnering with the 11 other CWB international chapters, CWB-USA has collaborated with more than a dozen NGOs in our field programs, such as UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders. Our partners bring us into refugee communities, schools, shelters and hospitals to share joy. Many partners provide some funding to cover expenses Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. such as in-country travel and logistical support. Plan International, for instance, funded the entirety of our work in 2013 and 2014 in the Philippines with communities that survived Typhoon Haiyan. We work with a cadre of more than 50 volunteer artists, most of whom are based in the U.S. Honoring our “without borders” idealism, we also have sponsored professional performing artists from Canada, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico to work with us in our field programs. 3 What We Do We work anywhere. CWB-USA has worked in settings from urban centers to rural pastures in communities that are reachable only by boat. We have hiked through jungles, ridden on horseback and even once had to swim a river with our gear held above our heads. During one field project in Colombia, we drove up treacherous mountains to a remote community of coffee Central Java, still recovering from the 2006 eruption of the Merapi Volcano, Indonesia, 2012: farmers who had been Gaby Muñoz & Jan Damm displaced by war. One child saw our show and said, “You are the clowns that came to us!” His radihelp children learn to work and play together. Perant smile echoed his enthusiasm; his mother told us formances in the community can often bring tothat before our visit no arts group had ever come to gether previously segregated groups while providtheir community. ing a safe setting for all people to laugh together. We meet psychosocial needs. CWB-USA designs its field programs to best suit the psychosocial needs of communities by working in close coordination with our partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs, see below). CWB-USA provides innovative programming that helps our partners achieve their psychosocial objectives. For example, theatre workshops provide creative exercises that We volunteer as artists. Our volunteer artists are professional performers who devise their own clown performances. Our audiences have been as large as 8,000 people. We also provide workshops for groups ranging from 5 to 50 people. We design our projects to be flexible and culturally appropriate where we work. Our programs aim to build resiliency through laughter and play. Children playing after the 2015 spring earthquakes, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2015: Micael Bogar Bringing relief to the children in the region around Cali, Colombia, 2009: Adrian Mejia 4 Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. What We Do We build community relationships. CWB-USA is often invited back year after year to work with the same communities and local artists. CWB-USA has worked in Haiti with an NGO called Terre des Hommes annually since the 2010 earthquake. Ongoing partnerships in Colombia since 2009 and southern Mexico since 1995 further illustrate CWB-USA’s sustainability and the close working relationships we have nurtured with our partners. We go where we are invited. Sometimes clown artists are not appropriate for a particular setting. That is why we rely on partner organizaIn and around the host city of Quetzaltenango, recovering from hurricane Stan and tions and individuals to invite mudslides of 2005, including very remote communities, Guatemala, 2006: David us to come to a place. When Lichtenstein a trusted local organization schools in countries entrenched in poverty or dissends a call to us, we do our ease. Our shows and workshops are portable, so we best to respond promptly and energetically. can go where asked. Everyone suffers, and we do not We work with communities in crisis. Crisis can be discriminate over which type of suffering deserves an ambiguous term. CWB-USA has worked in refumore attention. gee camps, shelters rapidly constructed after natural We value disasters, safe homes for women and children, and partnerships. CWB-USA works with relief organizations addressing the psychosocial needs of those who are suffering from traumatic Luz Gaxiola and Dave Clay at a Syrian situations. refugee community, Lebanon, 2014 We are neither doctors, psychologists nor social workers, but along with professionals and community participation we devise joyful experiencDuring a performance at a prison in Juba, Gavin Stockden es to help children and their communities thrive. jests with a prison guard, Sudan, 2009 Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. 5 Places Where CW B-USA Has Facilitated Projects 8 million views and counting 6 Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. In T he News Haiti, 2010: Sarah L. Foster and Tim Cunningham, partnership with Avsi Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. 7 F inancial Background: Income 2014 At its launch in 1995 by a handful of performers, CWB-USA had a budget of a few hundred dollars for bringing clowns into refugee camps. Our performers at first traveled to two regions, the Balkans and Southern Mexico, for two or three events a year. Nearly 20 years later, the 2014 budget reached $146,000 – including $227,308 of in-kind donations. In 2014, 34 performers donated 271 days for 125 performances and workshops in five countries – with a value of $81,300. This chart shows revenue by source, including grants from partner NGOs. Some grants were in the form of air transport and in-country food, lodging and supplies provided by our partner NGOs. In 2014, cash income for CWB-USA totaled $103,000; the remaining $43,000 was noncash support in various forms from partner NGOs. While CWB-USA has thrived on minimal overhead with performers volunteering and often leading fundraising, it is now time to build administrative support for the organization so that it can remain sustainable and effective over the long term. INCOME 2010-2015 $150,000 $146,007 (includes all direct and in-kind donations from partners) $125,000 $100,000 $103,000 $75,000 $50,000 $39,348 $32,619 $25,000 $50,049 $40,372 $0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 INCOME BREAKDOWN 2014 Miscellaneous 5 Fundraisers/ Merchandise 4 2.3% 9.5% Individual Donations 3 20.5% Partner NGO Grants 1 $146,007 39.7% Foundation/Corporate/ Other Grants 2 28.0% Rural children’s village and those affected by HIV/AIDS, Lesotho, 2006: Jamie Lachman, Selena McMahan, and Alice Nelson 8 1 Grants from five NGOs for field program expenses such as logistics, in-country travel, food, lodging. Our five partners were Plan International, CaliClown, Layan, Mine Action Group, and Terre des hommes. 2 Two foundations; schools; employee charitable giving programs; matching grants from the Soros Foundation, the Intel Foundation, and an anonymous corporate trust. Foundations included The Jewish Foundation of Greater Washington, D.C. and the G.A. Files Foundation. 3 239 including 10 recurring monthly/quarterly donors 4 Five fundraisers in the U.S.; merchandise sold at events 5 Tax refund Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. F inancial Background: Expenses 2014 In 2014, expenses amounted to $140,526, with field programs accounting for 81%. Field expenses include airfare, incountry travel, lodging, meals, and health coverage for the volunteer clowns. Many of these expenses were covered by partner NGOs. These programs include any work we do directly with children, families and our partners. Traditionally, this work has taken place beyond the borders of the U.S.; however, we are increasing our capacity to respond to requests for support within the U.S. By expanding our administrative funding, we will see a positive correlation with our capacity to produce more field programs. These will also be better designed to increase visibility and ensure a lasting, sustainable impact on the populations we serve. EXPENSES 2014 Marketing and Fundraising 5 Operating Expenses4 4.7% 7% Administration 3 7.5% Partner NGO Field Expenses 1 $140,526 41.2% Field Programs 2 39.6% 1 Logistics; in-country travel; food; lodging 2 Travel; insurance for performers; vaccines 3 Staff and consultants 4 Dues to Clowns Without Borders International; Insurance for Directors and Officers 5 Posters and communications (social media; web design; merchandise; event costs) City of Child, a home for women and children to focus on their future, Pune, India, 2009: Malin Ohrn and Helga Rosenfeld-Olsen Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. 9 Growth Our Individual Donors CWB-USA has grown significantly in the past five years. This reflects a more tangible presence in the world of humanitarian response: Many more organizations are seeking our services. Partner NGO grants and foundation/corporate giving now account for more than two-thirds of our budget. Our individual donor base has also increased with contributions from 277 individuals in 2014. Our Project Partners contribute significant in-kind resources that make the projects possible. Our individual donors have been the backbone of our organizations since its founding. Our gifts range in size from $5 to $5,000, and each increases our capactiy to bring joy to those in suffering. $5,000+ Anonymous Maria Kluge Tecovas Foundation $1,000 - $4,999 Adam Galinsky Adam Tepper Anonymous Cathe Giffuni David Rosenthal James Black Janet Mischer Jewish Federation of Greater Washington Linda Morasch Michael & Cathy Cunningham SOROS The G.A. Files Foundation Tim Cunningham $500 - $999 Alain Villeneuve Anonymous (2) Chris Williams Christian Lusser Dell’Arte Inc. Eric Post Jim & Ann Harmon Juliette Faughnan Neven Matthews Robert Scarr United Way Vitor Augusto Queiroz Mauad $100 - $499 Andrew & Jean Robeson Anne Olivia Eldred Anonymous (2) Ariana Wohl Aubrey O’Connor Benevity Community Impact Fund Bina Khan Brian White Charlotte & David Koskoff Christopher Williams Claire Schoonover Colleen Casey Cyd Gann Cynthia Brashear Dana Neal Dana Savo Danalee Buhlr David Griggs David Mercer David Strother Dawn Williams Deborah Black Dennis Rael Dianna Hahn Dustin Halcon Elizabeth Wiley Emily Strother Eric Larsh Erin Crites Fabienne Moor Gabriela Lozano Google Matching Gifts Gurudarshan Khalsa Heather Kingham Heather Maloney Hilda Roa Hollymead Elementary School Intel Volunteer Grant Program Irene Roberts Jacob Ellul-Blake James Sword John Thompson Juan Vega Kate Martin Kolleen Kintz Kristin Powers Laura Pretorius Lori Sheppard Madeline Puzo Martha Rodgers Michael Bell Michael Mize Michael Terman Mike Casey Molly Madden Neil Coulson Oliver Steck Paul Miller Renee Portanova Robert Rothaar Selena McMahan Seneca Valley High School Simren Priestly St. Paul’s Lutheran Church & School Stephanie Kissam Steve and Trim Hahn Steve Levi William Terry & Jody Dombrowski Willyan Decormier Zeena Salman $1 - $100 Adarsh Khalsa Adriana Manfredi Albyn Jones Allen Gunn Allison Nelson Almea Matanock Amy Zisa Andrew and Linda Zeswitz Andrew McNeil Anna Lane Anne Rothert Anonymous (4) Ariel Lauryn Arnold Lieberman Audrey Snyder Avital O’Glasser Bannack Taleff Betty Gallucci Beverly Hanly Brad Yazzolino Brian Bernhard Brittany Duff Bruce and Mary Capdevill Caelan Huntress Caitlin Matanle The Caldron Center Cara Mickens Carol Marsh Cassandra Frier Cat Turner Charles Powell Chrissy Smith Christine Hagerbaumer Chyla Graham Coleen Krizek Coralie Gallet Danese Cooper David Loya Davis Robinson Debbi Arseneaux via Kolleen Denise Levine Diane Leroux Dianna Hahn Emily Eldredge Emily Karmen Emily Turner Emma Groetzinger Eric Berg Forsyth Geraldine Klinglesmith GFWC Service Guild of Covington GFWC/Four Corners Woman’s Club Harold Dickson Harry Lowenthal Heather Maloney Hugh Wattenberg Ian McMahan Isaac Louie Jacob Timmons Jacqueline Dandeneau and David Ferney Jacqueline Salem Jane Mcmahan Jane Moore Jason Peckles Jefferson Reynolds Jennifer Sanders Jere Gibber Jerry Wallace & Michele McCall-Wallace Jill Roberts Joel Kauffman John Glazer Jonathan Schmiel Judy Gailen Karen Pollach Kevin Lanoue Kim Davies Kimberly Schor Kimya Jackson Kristin Lauricella Kurt Crowley Kushagra Khandelwal Lindsay Cabe Lisa Chacosky Lisa DeGrace Lucy Bernard Lyrian McGregor Madelin Puzo Margaret Rooker Maria Torricelli Marisol Rosa-Shapiro Marry Gaither Martha Ellul Martha Neighbors Mary Lee Larison Matthew “Poki” McCorkle Melissa Westberg Merry Malony Michael Bell Michael P. Burnes Michel & Jim Williams Michelle Mauset Mile High United Way Molly Cockcroft Moultrie Junior Woman’s Club Neil Jacobs Network for Good Matching Grant Nicholas Linesch Norris Hill Oliver Knight Patrice Kelly Patricia Simonton Paul Glickstein Peter Criswell Philip Lilienthal Plan G - Ren. Charitable Found. Priscilla Costa Retta Leaphart Rick Barrera Robert Reis Robert Saphier Robert Soriano Roman Briggs Ronald Tepper Sandra McMullan Sandra Neale Sandra Palmer Sarah Herman Sean Morrison Selma Zahirovic Sheila Globus Stephanie Marchese Sue Ellen Coltrin Susan Butler Susan Duck Tabitha Krug Teresa & Dennis Ryan Thomas & Deborah Bauer Thomas Pilecki Toby Meyer Vasilos Frankos Victor Froehlich Will Wauters William Brooks Zeena Salman Zohar Tobi For questions about donations or to change your donor listing please contact naomi@clownswithoutborders.org 10 Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. Organizational Structure CWB-USA incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2006. We are artist-driven with a 10-member board of directors. Our honorary board, which has seven members, is a nonvoting advisory body committed to the financial sustainability of CWB-USA. Our core staff of three includes our executive director, funds development officer and communications officer. Part-time consultants oversee our financial reports; database management; merchandise management; and volunteer artists. Board of Directors 2015 Moshe Cohen, founder Selena Clare McMahan, president David Lichtenstein, vice-president Dianna Hahn, treasurer Kolleen Kintz, secretary Sarah L. Foster, international representative Tim Cunningham Cathe Giffuni Anne Olivia Eldred David Rosenthal Honorary Board 2015 Van Black Adam Galinsky Michael Klinglesmith Maria Kluge Rob Scarr Adam Tepper Alain Villeneuve Staff Molly Levine, Executive Director In late 2013, Molly joined the CWB-USA team with an enthusiasm for what happens at the intersection of performing arts and humanitarian aid. Molly graduated from Global College, Long Island University with a B.A in Global Studies (concentration: human rights activism and violence against marginalized ethnic people). Molly is a project coordinator, facilitator, teacher, event producer, and Burning Man enthusiast, with an unhealthy delight in making the impossible possible. Naomi Shafer, Fund Development Officer Naomi Shafer has been clowning internationally since she was 12-years-old, including performances throughout Russia. Most recently, she taught and worked as the development director for the New England Youth Theatre in Vermont. Naomi received her B.A. in sociology and playwriting from Middlebury College, and she is an M.B.A. candidate at the Marlboro Graduate Center. Naomi has a lot of tricks up her sleeve, including finance strategy, stilt-walking, and Russian sign language. Tamara Palmer, Communication Officer Tamara Palmer loves clowns, humor, and helping people. Before joining CWB-USA, she served as communications strategist for FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance program and for the Field Innovation Team. As an adjunct professor at McKendree University, she taught communication courses. Tamara is a decorated veteran, serving in Operation Iraq Freedom. She received her M.A. in Communication from Eastern New Mexico University and her B.A. in Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Coordinators The CWB-USA family Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. Micael Bogar, database management Kolleen Kintz, merchandise management David Lichtenstein, volunteer management 11 Some of Our Volunteer Artists Our boards provide a foundation for our work, and our volunteer artists form the backbone of CWB-USA. Our artists are all professional performers; they dedicate their time, talent and treasure to traveling into challenging situations and providing high-quality clown performance and workshop instruction. We work with more than 50 volunteers from the U.S. as well as artists from Canada, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. If you could put monetary value on the contributions of our artists at $300 a day, then our artists in 2014 donated professional time worth $81,300. It would take volumes of pages to feature all of the professional artists who have volunteered their time and talent working with us during the past 20 years. Below are the names of a few, including those who have worked with us in the past year and those who have supported us for many years and have been on the team for a long time. Our gratitude for their dedication and sacrifice knows no bounds. CWB-USA 2014-15 and long time performers Andres Aguilar, Annabel Morgan, Anna Zastrow, Barnaby King, Brendon Gawel, Bobby Kintz, Briar Seyb-Hayden, Bruce Macphail, Caitlyn Larrson, Clay Mazing, Connie Gallo, Dan Roberts, Dave Clay, Elisa Lane, Elizabeth Turkel, Erin Crites, Esther Haddad, Gaby Munoz, Gavin Stockdon, Geoffrey Marsh, Guray Dincol, Gwen Rooker, Hillary Chaplain, Iman Lizarazu, J-Peace Lovecircus, Jan Damm, Jamie Lachman, John Leo, Jonathan Gunning, Kali Quinn, Kevin Casey, Leah Abel, Les Rivera, Marisol Rosa-Shapiro, Micael Bogar, Matt Chapman, Matthew McCorkle, Michael O’Neill, Molly Armstrong, Mr. Fish, Olivia Lehrman, Pedro Izquierda, Pilile, Raquel Rodriguez, Ryan Musil, Rudi Galindo, Sabine Choucair, Sayda Trujillo, Sibusiso, Suzanne Santos, Sibongile, Shea Free Love, and Wilmar Guzman – to name a few. 12 Performance for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 2014: Sabine Choucair Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. In T he Words of Our Artists “War and Wonder” blog excerpt from Tim Cunningham, about CWB-USA’s work with Syrian Yazidi refugees in Turkey, 2015. We open our show with a children’s song called “Zim Zim Zim.” Then our clown family begins its journey through a world of giants, acrobats, invisible walls, humans turning into animals and long lost friends returning. The kids we’ve performed for, about 1,000 so far, have been enthralled by the juggling and general wackiness as we parade through their communities to draw a crowd for the show. Clowning is not all about laughter—wonder too is equally as important. At one of our shows in a small village called Nerib, I witnessed wonder that trumped even the loudest laughter. Nerib is flanked by rugged mountains sparse with shrubs, the village is ancient, its history hard to ascertain. Rumor is that within the village are two very different political ideologies, one of which has been reported to be extremely fundamental and perhaps violent. After Sarah and our leadership team sat with community elders to get permission to perform in the village, the team decided to play the show by the school, a neutral section of the community. The roads are not safe to travel after dark, but the afternoon sun was too hot to perform. So after we decided to perform at the school, we waited just long enough for the setting sun to cast a shadow over the school and its East-facing wall. There was a slope of rubble about 10 feet high at a 45-degree angle that made for perfect “stadium seating.” We played, worn from the heat but energized by the children–rowdy boys in the front who were dying to join us on stage, comparably energetic girls in the back chattering about the weirdness going on. In the middle of the crowd sat a young girl in shorts and a pink T-shirt, her feet dug into the rubble so she would not slide down the slope. She leaned forward watching the clown mayhem in front of her. She laughed and smiled just like her friends around her. Then the stilt act began. We call it “Tall Land.” Three clowns enter the stage on four-foot tall stilts. Each clown is holding a golden piece of cloth, gently waving it in the air. The band, consisting of a guitar, ukulele, and musical saw, plays a flowing and ethereal tune. For a few moments the show slows down and all eyes turn upwards. The clowns dance together and one clown lifts another on the stilts and they slowly turn like a newlywed couple. A clown, not on stilts, enters and desperately tries to get the attention of the other clowns high up. When he does, these giants run in fear like an elephant unnerved by a mouse! The piece concludes when the groundling clown and the stilt walkers realize there is nothing to be afraid of and they can dance offstage together. When the stilt walkers entered, the girl’s jaw dropped. Her eyes widened and for the first time in the show, this child in the pink shirt stopped laughing. A subtle smile creeped up on her face as she reclined onto the rocks. She placed her hands behind her head, mesmerized. She looked calm and at ease watching the clowns and the blue cloudless sky as a backdrop. She followed the tall trio with serene attention, move by move and when they exited the stage, she slowly sat up as if waking from a dream. The sun continued to set behind her and the mountains grew dark. Soon we would hear the fighter jets starting their evening patrols. But in this moment, everything was just right. Even in states of war, there is space for wonder. Both are transient, both life changing. Read the whole story here: https://www.clownswithoutborders.org/update/new-blog-from-turkey Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. 13 2014 Projects Colombia • 5 clowns • 3,050 people served • Project Partner: CaliClown Haiti • 11 clowns • 9,360 people served + 3,000 from 4 parades • Project Partners: Libraries Without Borders & Terre Des Hommes, CWB-France, Alliance Française, and a number of local organizations South Sudan • 4 clowns • 3,115 people served • Project Partner: Terre Des Hommes Lebanon May/June - Syrian Refugees • 4 clowns • 3,800 people served • Project Partner: Layan December • 4 clowns • 2,850 children served • Project Partners: Mines Advisory Group (MAG) International, Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC), CWB-UK 14 Philippines • 5 clowns • 720 people served • Project Partners: Plan International & Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. Why Support Clowns Without Borders? We have often been asked, “Why should we donate to Clowns Without Borders USA and not some other NGO, like the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders?” Do you have children, nieces or nephews of your own? Have you ever witnessed them become ill, sad or in distress? Do you remember how you felt when you saw them smile or laugh again after a challenging situation? Do you remember the first time you T hank You for Your Support of Clowns Without Borders USA saw them smile and felt the radiance of their joy? We catalyze moments like these. We believe all children are capable of joy, even if it has been repressed by trauma, war, or poverty. We support other NGOs that provide medicine, shelter, and food. Most importantly, we support children and their families who have found themselves in crisis. We know that resilience begins with a smile. Mailing Address Clowns Without Borders USA PO Box 574 Blue Lake, CA 95525 www.clownswithoutborders.org info@clownswithoutborders.org Administrative Office New York City Executive Director Molly Levine +1.707.363.5513 molly@clownswithoutborders.org Fund Development Officer Naomi Shafer naomi@clownswithoutborders.org Communications Officer & Bookkeeping Tamara Palmer tamara@clownswithoutborders.org Haiti, 2011: David Lichtenstein, the “Strongman” bit. Publication Concept/Writing: Christina Files, Tim Cunningham Editor: Bob Simmons Graphic Design: Paul Horn Clowns Without Borders-USA is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization. Our employee identification number is: 20-4102508 Clowns Without Borders U.S.A. 15 "This is perfect. This is exactly what we need.” - Stavros Myrogiannis, Director of Karatepe Refugee Camp, October 2015. Stavos Myrogiannis’s comment after CWB-USA’s first impromptu performance in the overcrowded refugee camp, where thousands of Syrian refugees are hosted. "Your workshops - which included sensory integration, self-regulation, social and cognitive activities were extremely healing for the children's minds, bodies, and spirits." - Amy Stage, Recreation Specialist, St. PJ's Children's Home, San Antonio, Texas, April 2015. CWB-USA sent a team of four clowns to hold performances and skill building workshops for the youth, who reside at the Home. “I had forgotten what it meant to be happy; you guys have given that back to me.” - Oliver, UNHCR Logistics, Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, August 2015, who self-proclaimed at the beginning of CWB-USA’s visit, that he was “rotten to the core from being in Kakuma for too long.” “I hadn’t seen Marvin smile in the five days he has been in the hospital. This is the first time we’ve seen him smile.” - Dr. Natalie Roberts, Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) talking about CWB-USA's hospital visits at Tcloban, Philippines, 2014, after typhoon Haiyan. Clowns Without Borders USA • www.clownswithoutborders.org
