Celebrate: The Gentle Art of Sharing Hearts

As if this merry band needs an excuse, February is a month of celebration for FRMC Charlie's Chaplains!

In 2004, Charlie's Chaplains' first official now infamous Clown Skool opened on Saturday, February 7 in the FRMC Education Classroom. This adventurous group was treated to a wonderful day of training that grew and spilled over into a follow-up day later in the month focusing on balloon sculpting.

We've come a long way over the years. The seed sprouted for ongoing funny biz from Charlie's Chaplains' auspicious beginnings, with weekend-long "Clownabrations" led by two of our founders, "Bubbles" and "Snickers," beginning in 1991. Eventually the training branched out to include community-wide "Clowning Extravaganzas" taught by many of the clowning ministries which grew out of the original training program offered by FRMC Charlie's Chaplains' founders. After two sessions during the 2004 Skool Year, Clown Skool burst the seams of the FRMC Education Classroom, with growing attendance and space requirements!

February is a month of special celebration for us as we patrol FRMC hallways, tickling funny bones along the way with the heartfelt mission of brightening patients' days. Charlie's Chaplains celebrates how far we have come in this short journey, because some of us remember the times between the "Extravaganza" and "Clown Skool." It is such a privilege to do the work we do and it is an incredible blessing to have a day dedicated to train and equip us for this important mission.

Now held annually each September, Charlie's Chaplains' infamous Skool has become a much anticipated day-long event. Always promising a packed-to-the-max day for fellowship, learning and fun. We have been blessed to have professionals and community volunteers come and share their passion with us. Each Skool is designed based on the perceived needs of our group at the time of planning. The classes are not dealer-driven presentations. Skool is all-encompassing in nature to include as many areas of clown and entertaining arts as possible, in a day-long format taught simultaneously on multiple levels of experience.

To encourage more hospital clown groups, FRMC Charlie’s Chaplains’ Creative Ministry Skool is open to the public and others in the industry. While we do not promise what we teach will exactly fit another hospital or health care setting (as it does for us at FRMC), there are some shared components and concepts that could integrate, as well as be applied in a commercial or outreach situation. Each Skool has a special theme and features training sessions based on the day.

More Info: Skool '07 Big Top Training