AATH Organizational Friends Listing

Other Organizations Exploring Humor and Laughter
AATH directors selected these sites for their significant contribution to the field of Applied and Therapeutic Humor. Eligibility for inclusion is based on group involvement; that is, sites that represent a single person promoting their own valuable work are not included below, even though many outstanding AATH members have such websites. Eligibility is also limited to organizations that have an international, national or at least regional reach. Individual hospital clown therapy programs, for example, while worth applauding, were deemed too narrowly focused to be included.

If you would like to add your organization to the list, write to staff@aath.org. 

American Happiness Association
http://www.americanhappiness.org  
The American Happiness Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by scientists and designed to educate individuals and organizations about how to be happier, how to control negative emotions, and how to boost resilience through tough times.

American Humor Studies Association
http://www.slu.edu/academic/ahsa/index.htm
The American Humor Studies Association is dedicated to the study of American humor in all its aspects. Membership includes the semi-annual newsletter, To Wit (April 1, October 31), and the journal, Studies in American Humor (annually, Fall)

American School of Laughter Yoga
http://www.laughangeles.com
This website bills itself as America's leading Laughter Yoga Education Center. The key concept of Laughter Yoga is that you can laugh for no reason, anytime, anywhere, either alone or in a group of complete strangers, and that the practice is a highly powerful aid to a healthier and happier life.

Applied Improvisation Network (AIN)
http://appliedimprov.ning.com
According to the website, AIN “members are business professionals and academics who use improv tools, experience, and theory for human development and training in communities and organizations. These applications include facilitating creativity and innovation, effective strategy, better relationships in teams, conflict resolution, leadership, coaching and storytelling.” Membership is free.

Big Apple Circus – Clown Care
http://www.bigapplecircus.org/community/clown-care.aspx
Clown Care, the Big Apple Circus’s signature community outreach program, brings the joy of the classical circus to hospitalized children at 16 leading pediatric facilities across the United States. 

Bumper "T" Caring Clowns
http://www.bumpertcaringclowns.org   
Bumper “T” Caring Clowns is a not-for-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of patients, as well as their families, friends, and caregivers. Recognizing that gentle humor is a powerful and effective tool in promoting the healing process and in helping to relieve some of the stress and anxiety of a hospital stay, the volunteers “operate” in hospitals in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America
http://www.cancercenter.com   
According to its website, for almost 30 years, CTCA has been on the leading edge of cancer treatment with its personalized, whole-person care model. With cancer hospitals in suburban Chicago, Philadelphia, Tulsa, and suburban Phoenix, CTCA continues to expand its accessibility to patients. At CTCA, patients receive a personalized treatment plan which includes a powerful combination of advanced conventional treatments combined with supportive complementary medicine therapies to maximize quality of life at a challenging time.

CTCA has been a major sponsor of the AATH conference for several years. Our board is grateful for its work in the world and its support of our organization.

Caring Clowns International
http://www.caringclownsinternational.org  
This is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) charitable organization with forty clowns across the U.S. and in several other countries that was started after four of the current members
“clowned” in Vietnam in 2001. Now they clown to help awaken the human spirit: making people laugh, helping to heal, and connecting people to their individual humanity. They perform in dozens of venues from orphanages to prisons.

Clowns of America International  
http://coai.org    
The purpose of the Florida-based Clowns of America International is to share, educate, and act as a gathering place for serious minded amateurs, semiprofessionals, and professional clowns. COAI provides its membership with necessary resources that allow them to further define and improve their individual clown character.  Website visitors who are interested in the clown arts will find a variety of resources that will stimulate their interest, foster their curiosity and offer pathways to valuable information.

Clowns Without Borders
http://www.clownswithoutborders.org
CWT offers laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, especially children, who live in areas of crisis including refugee camps, conflict zones and territories in situations of emergency. The clowns bring levity, contemporary clown/circus oriented performances and workshops into communities so that they can celebrate together and forget for a moment the tensions that darken their daily lives. Among the countries they have served recently are Columbia, Burma/Myanmar, Kenya, India, and Haiti.

Comedy Cures Foundation
http://www.comedycures.org   
According to its website, ComedyCures® is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization that brings joy, hope, laughter and therapeutic comedy programs to kids and grown-ups living with illness, trauma, depression and disabilities. Through live events and digital outreach; it is the organization’s mission to entertain patients, families and caregivers around the globe, while also educating them about the benefits of laughter and a comic perspective on the mind, body, and spirit. This organization was founded by cancer survivor and AATH member Saranne Rothberg.

Fools for Health 
http://web2.uwindsor.ca/fools_for_health/
Fools for Health is a clown-doctor program that was begun as a pilot project in 2000.
Clown-doctors are not medical doctors; they are professional artists specially trained to work in a hospital. Usually clown-doctors work in pairs, wear a red nose, use a minimal amount of stage make-up, wear a white lab coat, and go by names like Dr. Haven't-A-Clue.  They interact with patients, their families and the healthcare team seeking to promote wellness and to improve quality of life through the use of music, improvisational play and humor.

Ha-P
http://www.ha-p.com
According to its website, the mission of this organization is “To empower resilience and optimism in people and organizations while accepting and embracing our authentic-selves and others; to spread happiness by compassionately connecting across generations and cultures; to help people peak perform by establishing more joyful and caring relationships.” AATH member Lenny Ravitch is a co-founder of this international organization that gives presentations around the world.

International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS)
http://www.hnu.edu/ishs/ 
The International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS) is a scholarly and professional organization dedicated to the advancement of humor research. Many of the Society's members are university and college professors in the Arts and Humanities, Biological and Social Sciences, and Education.  The Society also includes professionals in the fields of counseling, management, nursing, journalism, and theater.  All of our members are interested in humor's many facets, including its role in business, entertainment, and health care as well as how humor varies according to culture, age, gender, purpose, and context.

Laughter Heals Foundation
http://laughterheals.org
This is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote healing through laughter. The organization supports improvements in the world of health care by heightening the awareness of the power of laughter. From the website: “We want to alleviate the ills of the world one laugh at a time and spread the light of humor to everyone.”

Rx Laughter
http://www.rxlaughter.org 
According to its website, this 501c3 nonprofit corporation advances the value of humor as a powerful behavioral and psychological resource during times of crisis through a number of innovative research, therapeutic and educational projects. As of 2012, many of their new therapeutic and educational projects use social media and new technology to connect with people globally allowing us to help more people in less time, with lower costs and instantaneous feedback.