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So one of my Lions has gone to New York. Doubt he'll get the chance to hang with his famous homies at the New York Public, but who knows?

I'd heard of the Big Apple Circus of course, but until they got in touch with me to order a Lion mask, I hadn't really been familiar with them or their work. It didn't surprise me to find that this company tours the country with a show that includes some of the finest circus performers in the world. What did surprise me was discovering that this outfit is also a major community resource.

Their website describes the Big Apple Circus as "a not-for-profit performing arts and community outreach institution committed to children and their families". What this means in plain English is that they regularly send their clowns to perform at childrens' hospitals, they provide free and discounted tickets to disadvantaged kids, create special performances for the hearing and vision impaired, and conduct workshops and teaching programs introducing kids to circus arts. We're not just talking a handful of free tickets and a couple of hospital visits, either, these programs are not just icing on the cake - for the Big Apple Circus, their community work is the cake. Oustanding as the big top performance is, it seems to exist primarily to support the community outreach work.

It was an honor and a privilege to be able to contribute in my own small way to the important work these folks are engaged in. To learn more, visit the Big Apple Circus website (opens in new window).