All Clowns Aren't the Same
The art of clowning is so much more than knowing how to twist
balloons or sing a silly song. Clowning comes from the heart and combines joy
with a love of people and is brought to life with the practiced skills of face
painting, balloon twisting, silly magic and more. Tootsie started clowning
because she loves kids of all ages. Through her work at schools, hospitals,
private clubs, birthday parties, malls, and picnics, she is spreading a message
of joy and laughter- giggle gifts!
Tootsie's
alter ego, Gail Choate, has over 28 years experience as a corporate executive
and entrepreneur and currently is President of Laughs to Go! There,
she brings her message of the power of play to schools, hospitals and businesses
of all types through keynote presentations and workshops given around the
world. As a consultant and lecturer in the field of stress management, Gail
has been featured on ABC News, hosted an internet based chat for abcnews.com
and been featured in Health Magazine, American Way Magazine, Fort Lauderdale
Sun Sentinel, Eastsider News, Street Magazine, Palm Beach Post, as well as
numerous trade publications.
Performing
as Dr. Dee Achter, Gail is the supervisor of the renowned Big Apple Circus
Clown Care Unit serving Miami Children’s Hospital.
She was one of 35 international clowns selected to tour children's' hospitals,
orphanages and nursing homes in Moscow and St. Petersburg Russia (November
2000) with Dr Patch Adams and his Gesundheit Institute. From 2001 until
2005, Tootsie was the 'clown in residence' at Holy Cross Hospital where she
regularly visited their littlest patients as well as those in orthopedics and
intensive rehab. In 2006, Gail was an ambassador of fun to Rafiki Children’s
Centre in Kikuyu Kenya, Africa. She was named “Outstanding
Woman in Medicine” for her commitment to healing humor and World Peace
Clowns have awarded her a “Red Nose of Courage”
Gail is president of Kid
Focus, Inc., a non-profit organization responsible for inspiring Broward
2nd graders to read over 100,000 books in the past
five years. (www.KidFocus.org)
She is also very involved with Boys and Girls Clubs and the Marafiki Global
AIDS Ministry (www.MarafikiGlobalAIDSMininstry.com)
Gail is
also a certified yoga instructor in the Sivananda style of Hatha yoga. She
has taught yoga at St. Mark's Episcopal School, Broward Community College
(Young People's Summer College) and The Yoga Warehouse. She has further studied
with Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of "Fly Like a Butterfly" a
book of children's yoga. |
