Smiles Unlimited Universal Clown Ministry

A Funny Faced Servant

Clowns. Some view her permanent smile as scary. Some view her vibrant hair, mismatched clothes and puppy-like disposition as funny And some view her as caring. I see her as a funny faced servant. I am that servant.

When I adorn my face with white I die to myself. My fears are put aside, my pride nonexistent. My body is merely a vessel.

When I adorn my face with red, flesh tones, and black A courageous clown is born. Ladybug comes to play. Ladybug comes to serve.

With her vibrant red hair braided beneath a sloppy ole cowgirl hat, and her huge overalls pockets stuffed with stickers cover all that is left of me She embarks on her journey to serve.

The servants have arrived. Whereas I walk in and see old forgotten souls she walks in to find beautiful, loving ,and jubilant people. The frail witch-like fingers reaching out to her don’t bother her any. She seeks them as a hand to hold. Sitting silently by their sides for centuries at a time to listen to their sorrows or Ed’s same old joke is her delight. The laughs and the tears the hugs and the sorrows are what make her journey worthwhile.

I would like to take credit. But it’s not me sitting there holding a frail body as it weeps. It is someone much braver than I. It is someone much stronger than I. It is a funny faced servant. It is a clown.

Rebecca Clay - 12/11/07 - Poem

Tribute with a smile

By Judy Jenkins (Contact)
Sunday, August 10, 2008

Maybe all little brothers see their big brothers as heroes, but probably most of them don't carry that adulation into adulthood. One of the exceptions is Jeff DeMoss, who never took his brother Tony off the pedestal. Even when both became middle-aged men, Jeff revered Tony. "He would give you the shirt off his back, even if it was his only shirt," says Jeff, who is plant manager of the local Matrix Composites. Tony, who was 18 months older than his sibling, "was the only real constant in my life growing up," Jeff said, explaining that their parents divorced early and the brothers divided their time between their mother and father and eventual step-parents. Each brother also represented "spiritual strength" for the other. When one of them became a bit lax about church attendance, the other would persuade him to get back into the pew. Both, though not drawn to the pulpit, wanted to serve God in their own ways. For Tony, that meant sending generous portions of his paychecks to non-profit organizations and hospitals that care for children in need. For Jeff, who is divorced and the father of an adult son, Arron, that has involved singing in a gospel group and serving as an ordained deacon. On April 23, 2005, Tony suffered a fatal heart attack at 48 -- though he had no history of cardiac problems -- and Jeff's world came crashing down. No one would have been surprised if he had been the one to die, Jeff said, because he's a Type A personality and has been on blood pressure medication since his early 30s.But it was Tony who went, and Jeff struggled with grief. He'd go home from work and collapse on the sofa, not wanting to do anything. "I gained weight, and I was depressed. "Months later, he realized that he wanted and needed to embark on some kind of project that would help others and serve as a balm for his emotional wounds. A friend, who literally is a clown, suggested that he consider becoming a clown too. "I said I didn't want to do anything like that," Jeff recalls, but then he saw Christian clowns in action, bringing joy and expecting nothing in return. He signed up for a 30-hour training series to become part of the five-state (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri) Smiles Unlimited Christian clown ministry, and on April 29, 2006, his alter ego, Toe-Knee the Clown, was born. "I wanted to make sure my ministry would honor my brother's life," Jeff said, and that's why Toe-Knee becomes "Tony" when spoken. Like the world's most famous clowns, he's a hobo clown. He knew from the beginning he'd be a hobo rather than a prim and proper white-face clown or prank-playing auguste clown, because you can't have visible facial hair and be a white face or auguste. Jeff has had a mustache and beard since he was 17, and had no intention of getting rid of them. As Toe-Knee, he's no longer a driven administrator with deadlines and numerous responsibilities. Instead, he's a fun-loving, uninhibited fellow in a dark curly wig, hat, old black coat with white piping, patched pants, red and white suspenders, gloves with torn out fingertips, and a stuffed skunk named Stinky perched on one shoulder. His own gray-sprinkled red whiskers and beard are covered with black, and the upper part of his painted face has white around the eyes and a round red nose. Toe-Knee skillfully fashions balloons into animals and other things, does magic, face paints, improvises skits and brings smiles to the faces of nursing home patients, children in hospitals, kids at the annual local Goodfellow's Christmas party, and many, many other events. He's one of more than 60 members of the Smiles Unlimited Evansville chapter known as River City Clowns, and last year River City named him "Clown of the Year," after only one year of membership and service. Now he's president of the River City group, and on the board of Smiles Unlimited, which is headquartered in Indianapolis. The Evansville chapter, which is 13 years old, attends some 90 functions a year, clothes 10 kids annually through the Santa Clothes Club, and donates to about 15 area charities each year. The group asks its members to perform at a minimum of one event a month, though last year Jeff performed at more than 40 altogether. Members are volunteers, and receive no pay. Jeff, who is learning ventriloquism to expand Toe-Knee's performance arts, gets a tremendous kick out of approaching people he knows while he's in costume. "I'll say, 'I know you,' and they'll say 'No you don't,'" he chuckled. He's even fooled members of his own family. It also delights him when he can convert a clown-fearing child into a fan. He points out that there are a number of River City clowns from Henderson, including Gabbie, Skittles, Bubbles, Hokey Pokey, Baka and Tink-R-Belle. They downplay their actual identities when they're in clown mode. Jeff said one River City clown is 82 years old, known as Adi-Bug, and is an inspiration to him. She reminds him that, as his vehicular bumper sticker says, "Clowns are angels with red noses. "The Christian clowns no doubt all feel, as Jeff does, that "I want to know at the end of the day when the clown makeup is off, that someone's day was made brighter because of something I did. "He certainly brightened the day of an Illinois law enforcement officer once when he was returning home in full Toe-Knee persona from an event. He had exceeded the speed limit, and was pulled over by the officer who took one look at him, did a double-take, and asked him, "Boy, where you headin'? "Neither Jeff nor Toe-Knee received a ticket. Jeff says he'll share his life with Toe-Knee as long as he possibly can. "The only thing that would make me give up clowning is if I could have my brother back."

---River City Clowns will begin a new clown training series for those age 18 or over in January, at a cost of about $100. For more information about that or the clown ministry, contact Jeff via toeknee_rcc@yahoo.com---

Clowning for a cause

By Wade Coggeshall

— PLAINFIELD — There’s something about putting on that makeup and chromatic outfit that seems to brings smiles to everyone’s face. That’s what the clowns of Western Smiles say. A chapter of Smiles Unlimited Clown Ministry, its members dress as their own characters and spread a little joy to those who need it in places like hospitals and nursing homes.

“It makes me feel good as a person, to help others no questions asked and to give back to the community,” said Ashley Smith, president of Western Smiles.
An Avon native, Smith did a lot of volunteer work with Girl Scouts before learning of Smiles Unlimited. Don Berkosi started the ministry in 1982. There are now 10 chapters in the state including Western Smiles, which is headquartered at Western Yearly Meeting of Friends Church. Smith joined in 2001 when she took the clown class the church offers.

There are three clown characters taught. The white-faced clown is a leader — smart, elegant, with a well-coordinated outfit. The hobo or tramp is last in line and is usually left to clean others’ messes. In the middle is the auguste, the opposite of the white face — colorful and under the allusion she’s smart and elegant, but really is a joker.
“I said that has to be me,” said Smith of the auguste. Her clown name is Gabby Giggles.

Cindy Vibbert, also known as Sassy, is another auguste and Western Smiles member. She’s been clowning for three years. “They have the most fun,” Vibbert said of her clown type. “I’ve been a jokester all my life, and it just fit my character.” Vibbert echoes Smith’s sentiments on why she got into the avocation. “It’s very rewarding,” said Vibbert, who was named Western Smiles’ Clown of the Year in 2007. “To put smiles on people’s faces, I don’t think you could ask for more. Especially the ones going through hardships. Often their audience is comprised of those enduring tough times, be it loneliness in a nursing home or serious health issues in a hospital. Sometimes it can be difficult on the entertainment too, “But you just have to bear with it and do your tears afterwards,” Vibbert said.

It’s certainly the same for Smith. But she tries to maintain a positive outlook. “I go in thinking what can I do to make their day, and mine, a little brighter,” said Smith, who received Clown of the Year accolades in 2003 and ’06. Not everyone likes a clown. Smith and Vibbert have learned that’s especially true with children, who can get scared of the multi-hued creature in their presence. “I don’t push myself on them,” Vibbert said. “After they see other kids warming up to me, they eventually come around.” Clowns, she says, aren’t like the evil Pennywise that haunted Stephen King’s book It.

“We say clowns are angels with red noses.”
For ones who do embrace the likes the Sassy and Gabby Giggles, it often means the start of something special. “I’ve developed a lot of patience, love, and friendships with residents,” Smith said. “When I return somewhere, they may remember my smile or curly yellow hair.” Of course a movie like “Patch Adams” gives Smith hope that what she’s doing makes a difference for someone who needs it. “It’s so rewarding to see what he could do, and what I can maybe do in real life,” she said. Magic, face-painting, balloon animals, and skits may seem like simple tomfoolery to some, but Vibbert understands their significance.
“My dad always told me, the greatest gift God can give you is the ability to make people smile,” she said. “A lot of times it’s at my expense, but that’s OK.”