What Laughter Heals Does...

Laughter Heals Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote healing through laughter.

A Special Tribute to a Great Friend and Personal Inspiration

Mike Polin (left) and Craig Shoemaker

I’d like to take this opportunity to honor a good friend and a great man, Mike Polin. I’ve known mike for several years and he has always been one of those folks who put a smile on my face and a steadiness to my soul. I initially met mike when he hired me to do the narcotics anonymous world convention in St. Louis. It went so well that he had me back to their world conventions in San Jose and San Diego. One of the things that are important to me (as a comic) is to have friends who "get it". Mike always got it, both literally and figuratively... and was one of the first people to jump on board when we formed the laughter heals foundation. He volunteered his time and nurtured the non-profit and eventually became president. We organized a few events together and he participated in our "laugh for life" pilot program.

Although we have been on hiatus for the last year and a half, mike has always been there for us and never lost sight of our mission. He had a full understanding of the value of laughter on this planet and frequently showed up at live comedy shows where I would see his entire body jiggling from laughter. Mike Polin is a good egg and a Philly guy to boot! Although he has lived in California for a long time, he never lost his eastern Pennsylvania spirit or even our plebian accent. He loved our eagles and all the other Philadelphia teams. I sure wish he could have seen the Phillies overtake the Mets for the national league east title but mike passed away a few days before. Lately, I have had numerous emails which have re-energized our focus on laughterheals.org. As a man who listens to instinct and spirit to guide him, I now realize that Mike's passing is the final inspiration I needed to bring our organization to its fullest potential. Mike left behind a big imprint on hundreds of people he touched. I’m committed to honoring his legacy and to refocusing on Laughter Heals. I really miss Mike but when some of these well intentioned dreams are realized, I know that Mike will stay with us for eternity. Wherever you are, laugh on... laugh on, Mike.... I know you wouldn't have it any other way.

-Craig Shoemaker

The services we plan to make available are the following:

• LAUGH-MOBILES

  We provide T.V. monitors with built-in DVD player capabilities, mounted on portable audio visual carts for the use of residents in hospitals, cancer recovery facilities, children’s hospitals, orphanages, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, mental hospitals and day care centers. Each cart will be stocked with 100 DVD’s comprised of classic film comedies, modern film comedies, classic TV sit-coms, and concert films of great comedians.

• WEB SITE
  

  LAUGHTER HEALS FOUNDATION will design and maintain a vital and informative internet presence, providing laymen and the medical community (nurses, doctors, therapists etc.) with current and past published articles illustrating and explaining the potent therapeutic value of humor and laughter in the healing process.

  The web site will also be an interactive source of humor sharing and jokes. We will feature a Comedian-of-the-Month, who will donate video and audio clips to keep our visitors entertained, amused and coming back for more.

  We will also sell 3 major categories of humorous media:

  1. Films, TV Show and comedian concerts on DVD’s.
  
  
  
  2. Humor books, i.e. Dave Barry, Erma Bombeck, Mark Twain, Anne Lamott, etc.
  
  
  
  3. CD’s of comedians, Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Mort Saul, Craig Shoemaker, Steve Allen, Chris Rock, Monty Python, Rodney Dangerfield etc.



• COMEDIAN POOL
  

  We will provide, at no cost to the requesting facilities, a pool of professional humorists, who will perform for the residents and care givers at various institutions, including schools, community centers, hospitals, drug and alcohol treatment centers, and various disease support groups. The comedians will work on a volunteer basis.

• “LIGHTEN UP” CLASSES FOR HEALING PROFESSIONALS
  

  LAUGHTER HEALS FOUNDATION will conduct free workshops for hospital and health institutions workers. These workshops will promote and instill the importance of humor in the treatment and care of stricken individuals. The session will also give our overworked and under appreciated health care workers an opportunity to laugh and relieve stress, in a creative and supportive environment. The classes will teach people how to develop their own innate sense of humor, and basically, ‘how-to-lighten up’. In the class, the students will study ‘The Wisdom of Happiness’, ‘The Psychology of Joy’, ‘Releasing the Fun Child’, ‘The Therapeutic Power of Play’, and of course, ‘Laughter is the Best Medicine'.

If laughter is indeed the best medicine we want to be the free pharmacy.

There are many ways to find oneself laughing. We want to promote the importance of it for improving the quality of life. And the use of it, in practical and verifiable ways.

Laugh Often = Live Well!

So Open Up and Say HAA!

Please e-mail comedian Craig Shoemaker to share your thoughts and stories relating to this subject.

If you are interested in learning how you can support the Laughter Heals Foundation in your town,
Please Contact Craig.

See what Craig has on his schedule at www.craigshoemaker.com

Thanks for visiting... laugh on...Craig!