Darn, so much time has passed since my last web diary entry, I just returned from a week-long college alternative spring break clown trip to Guatemala (while John G. was leading one to Nicaragua) with 20 clowns (students) from 5 countries. Our youth team made it run smoothly as we hit 2-3 engagements each day in Guatemala City and Antigua.
In the country, Maria Olga (who had the vision to bring us while attending the School for Designing a Society last summer at Gesundheit, West Virginia) teamed with the Guatemalan hostpital clown group Fabricas de Sonrisas to give us a perfect trip. I also spoke to 2,000 people at the National Theater, who appreciated the apology I made to them for the role the US government and the School of the Americas had in their 36-year war that massacred 200,000 people. I also spoke to 350 students at their public medical school, hungry to hear about compassionate care. If you are looking for a grand place to do some volunteer work, contact Safe Passage which works with children who live at the huge dump in the city. This is a miracle project.
In these nine months we have done clown trips to the Amazon of Peru in August 08 (see John's description [1] of the trip) with 91 clowns from 14 countries; to Japan in September with 30 mostly Japanese clowns organized by our previous clown sister Miyako; my brother Wildman and Elisa led their first trip in October to Romanian AIDS orphanages with friends and many of the clowns from their Italian clown group Over the Rainbow in Padua. They joined us, with their 3-year-old daughter Annamaria, the next month for our 24th annual Russian tour with 30 clowns from 8 countries. Our work there with orphans grows thanks to Maria and Marina. The children's art auction raised $72,000; and in December we took 14 clowns to Cuba, teaming up with 14 children from the Cuban national children's theater to go to the areas hit hardest by the 3 hurricanes there in the fall.
I've also signd a contract with Phoenix Books for my third book. They were enamored by a huge collection of letters I've received of two types: patients needing care who can't get it because they are poor, and health professionals from all over the world screaming out for a compassion-based care environment. They are a poignant encouragement for us to keep to our project.
These nine months have seen our website mature and become a player in the global dialogue on health care, and a fund-raising arms for us. Thank you OJC Technologies [2]. Susan Parenti created the fifth annual intensive on health care delivery system design at the perfect location in Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum [3]. It was full with eager folks wanting to create beautiful care delivery. PLEASE READ Susan's two [4] papers [5] on the website and then my history and philosophy paper [6] on Gesundheit so that you can have some exciting things to talk about in health care delivery. Please write President Obama encouraging him (and your senators and congresspeople) if you are an advocate for single payer, universal health care for all.
And, of course, countless speaking engagements all over the world and thousands of letters answered ... I am healthy and crazed to help midwife a world free of violence and injustice.
I am so glad to be rid of the last government ... so that those of us who are US citizens can hold our heads up internationally again. I wish Obama the best — glad to have to intelligence in the White House. I hope all the global enthusiasm for his election is turned into kinetic energy for peace and justice. Radiantly do your part.
I ask you to please read my plea for your help in sustaining our important work. If you have ever loved our work, please help it survive in the times. It can't without you.
I love you.
peace,
Patch
Links:
[1] http://www.patchadams.org/clown_trips/peru_august_2008
[2] http://www.ojctech.com
[3] http://www.avam.org
[4] http://www.patchadams.org/re-designing_US_health_care_system
[5] http://www.patchadams.org/care-actor
[6] http://www.patchadams.org/hospital-paper