Smile heals ...

A cover that just springs with joy, colours and happiness - from Poland 🇵🇱 

Smile cures .. 

Date of issue : 5 September 2014

Power of laughter not only reduces anxiety and stress, but also significantly boosts the immune system in our bodies. Simply, laughter is as good as surgical mask or even better as its effects are more lasting, it’s cheaper and always available.

The Dr. Clown Foundation brings joy to the most vulnerable people in the community. Since 2002, the Dr. Clown Foundation has been developing its personal relationship approach that is focused on improving the quality of life of hospitalized children, students in specialized schools, hospitalized patients of all ages and seniors in care facilities.

The Foundation runs two separate programs: 

Dr. Clown, designed for schools and hospitals, and La Belle Visite, intended for seniors. 

Both aim to create caring and respectful relationships that bring a breath of joy into environments where sometimes little exists.

Making meaningful connections, breaking isolation, providing friendship and comfort, helping to humanize healthcare settings and upholding a person’s dignity by treating them with kindness and respect are just some of the observable benefits of the interventions of the therapeutic clowns. The positive impact of these programs is recognized by both medical practitioners and educators, who integrate the therapeutic artists into their care plans. 

History of “Hospital Clowning”  goes back to Polish volunteer Jan Tomasz Rogala who moved with his clown colleagues to Ukraine and introduced this concept of clown therapy in the hospitals as well as among the local volunteers.

Jan’s first experience with red nose trace back to 1997 in Astrakhan, Russia. He was already working in different charities for 10 years by then. His American colleague, also a volunteer, introduced him to clown costume as they were conducting series of programs in orphanages and shelters. The magic took place instantly. As Jan recalls in his own words: “We were transported into such a world of laughter and joy that I thought to myself maybe in fact I was born to be a Clown”. In his home country of Poland he was studying meteorology and later English teaching but with time he understood his mission and calling to commit himself to charity work; so started his adventure with volunteering 28 years ago. 

In 2006 Jan Tomasz with his family moved to Dnepropetrovsk and as Doctor Fanarik (little flashlight) serves the children in the local hospitals

As Mark Twain said, “Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”

Thanks Wojtek for this wonderful first day cover :) I am really intrigued by the concept of Hospital Clowning ! 

And thanks so much for this lovely postcard :) it’s on my work desk now ;)