On Pace
30 Years of Clowning Around
Torrance Memorial’s Clowns on Rounds delivers laughs for over three decades. Written by Melissa Bean Sterzick
The hospital's six-week clown school began operations in 1992 and is open to anyone age 18 and older. All aspiring clowns are welcome!
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orrance Memorial is a nonprofit medical center recently recognized as a Best Hospital for the 10th straight year by U.S. News & World Report. Members of the surrounding community have come to expect world-class health care and physician expertise. What they might not expect are clowns and a clown school. For 30+ years, Torrance Memorial’s Clowns on Rounds program has brought trained clowns to the hospital to cheer patients with smiles and a bit of laughter. The program inspired the creation of the
14 | Pulse Magazine Spring 2022
Torrance Memorial Clown School, in operation since 1992. Joyce Payne is the principal of the clown school and a Clowns on Rounds volunteer. Her clown name is Joy. “The art of hospital clowning involves being empathetic with a patient,” she says. “You acknowledge their condition by meeting them where they are, then taking them to a happier place.” The Torrance Memorial clown school is open to anyone age 18 and older. The hospital offers this service to the community once a year for a nominal fee for supplies. During
