On a bright Sunday afternoon in May, my husband (“Clown Gary”) and I (“Clown Judy”) volunteered with Starlight MidAtlantic at the “Spa Day & Little Heroes Party” as clowns with pediatric oncology patients, their parents, and siblings at Georgetown University Hospital’s Lombardi Cancer Center. 
We performed magic tricks, made balloons, and told lots of “knock-knock” jokes. The kids laughed their little heads off and countered with their own “knock knock” jokes to expand our repertoir.
Clown Gary and I used our balloon pumps to put lots of air into pretty mylar balloons for each patient, and we often asked the kids to help with the pumping. Each balloon takes about 50 pumps of our small, hand-held balloon pumps, so we all huffed and puffed together. Typically, when we volunteer as clowns in non-hospital settings, we make balloon animals and balloon hats out of special latex balloons that twist, but because the pediatric patients might be allergic to the latex, we use only mylar round balloons at Starlight MidAtlantic events.
We performed silly magic tricks and taught a number of patients at the party how to perform the tricks themselves. Magicians, of course, are never supposed to reveal how they do their magic, but I can never resist sharing my secrets and then showing the kids how to do magic for their unsuspecting parents. One of our favorite tricks is making a red handkerchief disappear inside a green felt magic bag. It reappears only when patients blow a kiss into the bag and say “abracadabra.” Lots of giggles….
After the event, we went up to the Pediatric Oncology floor to entertain from room to room the patients who were unable to go
to the party. We carried with us our four-foot tall “Froggie” that a friend recently won at a carnival. As always, our really huge clown shoes evoked more giggles, especially with the doctors, because Clown Gary kept asking them if they had any suggestions for reducing the swelling of his feet!
We had a special and most rewarding experience. Bringing smiles to the faces of Little Heroes and their families is the surest way to bring smiles to our own hearts. Clown Gary and I recently expanded our volunteer clown activities to include Starlight MidAtlantic events at local hospitals almost every weekend.
Love, “Clown Judy” (Judy Kopff)
Read more about Clown Judy in her essay “Clowns Do Cry: A Lifetime of Laughter and Tears” at www.starlight-midatlantic.org/clown
Pictures from the Spa Day & Little Heroes Party: check them out! http://www.nickstrocchia.com/gallery/4866044_ovQqB#289901284_88Sr8
