Fort Vancouver alumnus travels with Clowns Without Borders

Clowns Without Borders Portland fundraiser

• Clowns Without Borders USA will host its 16th annual Portland fundraiser Feb. 6 at Da Vinci Middle School, 2508 N.E. Everett St. Learn more at www.clownswithoutborders.org.

• Read more about Curtis Carlyle’s and Clowns Without Borders’ Project Haiti 2014: www.clownswithoutborders.org/project/project-haiti-2014.

As he traveled through devastated parts of Haiti in the company of charitable clowns, Curtis Carlyle had nothing to give but joy.

Because he knows that food and medicine might heal the body, but a smile can soothe the soul.

The 34-year-old professional juggler and Fort Vancouver High School graduate traveled to Haiti for two weeks in November on his first trip with the international nonprofit Clowns Without Borders, which sends performers to crisis areas with the mission of bringing some happiness to the communities there. While other relief organizations fulfill the important function of helping places such as post-earthquake Haiti rebound by providing supplies and aid, the comic entertainers who volunteer with Clowns Without Borders strive to bring a different kind of relief: a burst of light in dark times.

What Carlyle experienced during his trip across Haiti with fellow clowns, artists and musicians touched his heart.

“It was eye-opening. It was great to see the ways that other people live and adapt and survive in the world,” said Carlyle, who now lives in Portland and has performed thousands of times in myriad settings including a Broadway production, at corporate gigs and for charity. “It was very nice to see so many people who appreciated clowning and juggling.”

Donning a red leather nose to match his light red hair and bushy mustache, Carlyle entertained children and others in need of a laugh at various stops in Haiti, using juggling and comedy skills he’s been perfecting ever since deciding to become a performer in his early 20s.

“When I turned 21, I wanted to learn to do something besides drink, and I had a ton of youthful energy,” he said. “I think that most people take juggling as a hobby or a fascination they enjoy for a small time in their life. And some people, like myself, see it as a fascinating puzzle.”

The shows in Haiti had a different feel than the typical performances Carlyle books back home, including a Dec. 20 show at Vancouver’s Compass Church, where he received a standing ovation from delighted families after entertaining them with an energetic mix of silly jokes and physical feats using yo-yos, bowling pins, a very tall unicycle and other eye-catching props.

“I really enjoy the physical activity of throwing and catching and doing moves that are surprising,” he said.

When Carlyle got to Haiti, he and the 10 other American, French and Haitian artists representing Clowns Without Borders split into two groups to tour different parts of the country, meeting back up for final performances around Petit Goave and Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. Carlyle’s group called themselves “Team Bon Bagay,” meaning “good stuff” in Haitian Creole.

“It was a very hands-on experience (in Haiti). From the first moment, it was dive right in,” he said. “Some of my favorite interactions of the whole trip were interacting with people on the streets.”

Some of the interactions Carlyle had with children on the trip were reminders of the horrible poverty in the region that was only made worse by the 2010 magnitude-7.0 earthquake that killed more than 220,000 and displaced many more.

“There are a lot of kids who don’t have a lot going on,” he said. “They don’t have an education and they are living on the street.”

Carlyle got used to hearing one particularly glum remark from children when they saw him juggle.

After being dazzled by his ability to manipulate objects in the air with ease, a number of kids at different stops would approach Carlyle and tell him they’d love to learn to juggle, if only they could have their own props like his.

So Carlyle found a way to pass on his love of juggling without having to give away his equipment.

“When kids would say they had nothing to juggle, I would pick up a couple rocks and show them,” he said. “I would grab my hat, a shoe, an umbrella.”

Performers with Clowns Without Borders, which was founded in 1993 by a professional clown in Spain and has since grown to include spin-offs in eight other countries, have made multiple trips to the Caribbean country to provide “psychosocial support” since it was ravaged by the earthquake four years ago.

“We’re not as essential as food and water, but there’s a role,” said Clowns Without Borders USA President David “Leapin’ Louie” Lichtenstein, who lives in Portland and is a friend and inspiration to Carlyle. “Just making kids happy is valuable. This is particularly important after a disaster or wartime. Often the lesson to kids is, ‘It’s safe now, you can sleep.’ Sometimes kids are in a post-traumatic shock and they need to laugh.”

While it was troubling to witness the devastation and poverty that have taken a toll on the people of Haiti, Carlyle returned home feeling he and other Clowns Without Borders helped make a difference in their own special way.

Somewhere in Haiti, there might just be a small kid tossing three rocks in the air while trying to mimic the silly red-haired guy who took the time to share a smile.

“There are some difficult things to watch — the pollution and things like that,” Carlyle said. “Overall, Haitian people are beautiful and kind and very good at making do with what they have.”