Sad clown makes sick kids happy
Beatrice Kurtzman, 18, lost her father four years ago. After losing will to live, she finds new direction in life by volunteering as medical clown. On April 5 you'll be able to do a good deed too
"My father was not just a father to me, but a lifetime partner as well. He was the closest person to me, like a real friend. I would tell him all my secrets. I lost a father and an amazing person, who helped me with everything.
"Four years ago, a tragic accident happened. A bus driver who didn't see him ran him over. He died. That's when my life stopped. I felt like part of my body had been cut off. I lay at home for months having no desire to live."
Today she admits that what saved her life was the volunteering. Kurtzman, then a communications student at a Netanya high school, slowly turned volunteering into a way of life.
"At first I volunteered in schools. I helped needy children with their homework. Then I took part in a series of activities in the Student Council, and then in the National Student Council. I organized projects together with other friends in order to help children from the low-income population, help them make progress and make them happy."
Alongside the endless activities among youth, she began participating in the entertainment group of the Netanya Municipality's education and society department.
"This group's goal is to organize birthday parties for teenagers and children whose parents cannot finance their events. They pay a symbolic sum of NIS 20 (about $5.5), and I arrive dressed as a clown, entertain the birthday guests for two hours and offer different activities. The child doesn't know that his mother ordered a clown through the municipality, and he is happy and feels as rich as all other children," she says.
Kurtzman, who is currently busy studying for her matriculation exams, also works as a medical clown. "I volunteer at the Laniado Hospital. I dress up as a medical clown and visit sick children. They lie in their beds with needles stuck to their hands, afraid of injection and painful treatments, and then a young girl like me comes along, tries to make them laugh, gives them gifts, imitates people and tries to help them pass the time.
"The volunteering saved me from the bereavement and great pain. Today my goal in life is to do good things," she concludes.
April 5 – a day of grace
If you want to do something good for someone else too, you're invited to volunteer on Good Deeds Day, organized by the Ruach Tova association, which will be held on April 5.
The project was initiated five years ago by businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison. "This day allows tens of thousands of people to experience the pleasure of doing something good for their fellowmen every year. There are many places where a change can be made in someone else's situation by smiling and listening. It's easy."
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