From the devastating floods across the Midwest and Northwest to the wildfires in California, the floods in the Plains States and almost everywhere in-between, RNR volunteers responded to disasters. Together with clowns from across the globe, we joined efforts to help those in need by sending "Smiles to the Rescue."

Here are a few highlights of our accomplishments:

The first "Training Day" in New York City brought in Responders from CT, NY, and NJ. They received their Red Cross certification and are now certified to help in any national Red Cross shelter following a disaster.

RNR learned the power of partnerships. During the wildfires in California and floods in the states of Washington and Oregon, RNR reached out to some exceptional clowns (non-RNR members) and they connected RNR with shelters that were open. Clowns traveled to visit and letters are still arriving recounting stories of their experiences. Many of those clowns have now become RNR members.

RNR developed an improved "Alert" system. Immediately following a disaster (or before with enough notice), RNR reaches out to its State Coordinators via e-mail. If there is no immediate response, we will attempt contact by phone. If there is still no response, all Responders in that State and surrounding areas are contacted. We are also now reaching out to local alleys, town halls, religious groups and local organizations to inform them of our work.

Our fundraising turned personal. The San Diego All Star Clown Alley let RNR know about a husband and wife clown team who, while volunteering in a local shelter, lost their own home to a wildfire. One of our N.J. Responders spearheaded a fundraiser held at the M.A.C.A. Convention to help them. Many incredibly generous clowns donated magic, balloons and other items.

The E-zine and Forum became essential pre and post-disaster methods of communication. With extremely valuable information, inspirational responder stories and more, the E-zine is a highly anticipated monthly email. The Forum on our website is also now an important tool for releasing up-to-the- minute information about our responses.

December 8, 2007 three clowns from Yakima, WA set out for a three hour trek to the flooded areas of western Washington, Chehalis and Centralia. This intrepid trio, "OOCHEE" (Maureen Mould), "J.R. Kludders" (Frank Ward) and "Tambow" (Tammy Danforth) had as their mission to bring smiles and stress relief to the individuals who had been evacuated from their homes due to the floods and to lighten the load of the many volunteers.

Their first stop was at a Red Cross shelter at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis, They clowned, they sang, they entertained for 1 1/2 hours.

The Red Cross volunteers, who were making lunch, kept commenting on how wonderful it was to finally see smiles on so many faces.

As coincidences go it was at this first site where OOCHEE met up with a Red Cross volunteer mental health counselor who OOCHEE had worked with over 20 years ago. This counselor was also in New Orleans at the same time OOCHEE's clown troupe was bringing smiiles and laughter to children in some of the elementary schools.

Follow the story with the next articles.

Continuing the trek of these three clowns, OOCHEE, J.R. Kludders and Tambow, the next stop was the Salvation Army Distribution Center. There were piles of clothes and counters full of food for the families as they waited to speak with someone to assess their needs for assistance.

One woman shared her story of her two sisters and their children who lost everything. She related that her husband was out of work, there were not enough blankets so the kids were sleeping in their clothes. They had no children's socks so the kids had to wear adult socks. As she told her story another woman walked up and gave each of the adults a $20 bill, which she called "a gift from God".

The ladies eyes filled with tears. One said she could now get a blanket and the other said "we can go get socks for the kids". At this point OOCHEE pulled out her feather duster, dusted off a sponge "clean X" and said, "It looks like you need a Kleenex." Amidst their tears the ladies laughed and told the clowns how much they needed them there right then.

As the clowns left the Salvation Army Center they ran into Mr. Whalen, a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol who was returning from returning from relief work. He was mud from toes to armpits. They compared their shoes. His were the muddiest!

There were two more stops for these clowns, OOCHEE, J.R. Kludders and Tambow. At the National Guard Armory they played both with Red Cross volunteers and the children. They shared colorful spinning plates and balancing the plates on their hands and fingers with a group of boys . The boys eagerly tried to master the skills and proudly posed for pictures.

The last stop was another Red Cross shelter, this time at the LDS Church. Again, displaced families were meeting with rescue workers to assess their losses. OOCHEE reported that whomever they saw was "donned with a red nose". As they were getting ready to head home, another 3 hour journey, the Red Cross workers were begging them to stay for dinner and keep on bringing smiles.

OOCHEE said that as they packed their clown gear in the car trunk, they all had the feeling in their hearts that they had made a small but significant difference in the lives of those who had lost their homes and those who were lending a helping hand. Margaret Meade once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

We appreciate this follow up story provided by Maureen "OOCHEE" Mould. These three clowns have shown all of us again how a small bit of cheer can go a long way, "Sending Smiles To The Rescue". You can read the full report on the RNR web site.