Make someone smile for nothing
For Mina Liccione, co-founder of Dubomedy Comedy Club in Dubai, stand-up isn’t the only way to perk people up.
She started her Catch a Smile project 2014 through Dubomedy’s volunteer arm, Clowns Who Care, and these days, three times a year, they focus on showing a group of Dubai residents random acts of kindness. In Ramadan, her volunteers gave out gift bags to toilet attendants across Dubai.
“These ladies are someone’s mom, sister, daughter, aunt,” says Ms Liccione. “I thought being able to bring them a little joy and appreciation as part of Catch a Smile was the perfect fit.”
Ms Liccione says the reaction from recipients is usually one of great surprise. “They’re humbled. One woman cried and told me all about her life,” she says.
“Some days we all just need a friend and for someone, anyone, to listen and make us feel appreciated. “Being able to make people smile is such a deeply humbling moment, because in turn I gain so much more. I am reminded to always be thankful, kind and warm to others.
“At the end of the day, we are all humans. We all want to be loved,” she says.
“We all want to be successful. We all worry about our children’s future. Our similarities are way stronger than our differences. Once you can see that, a world of beauty and caring opens up.”