4-H’er Gives Back through Funnies for Families

4-H alumna Kristie Gunter juggles nursing and comedy to make patients and their families laugh.

Kristie Gunter, originally from Vancouver Island, BC, wanted to be a nurse and a comedian. Knowing full well that laughter can be the best medicine, she combined the best of both worlds by using comedy to help people work through their toughest times. Currently based in Toronto, ON, Kristie’s non-profit organization Funnies for Families has given her the opportunity to do what she calls “therapeutic clowning,” which utilizes some of the skills she initially learned as a member of 4-H. “My whole family was involved in 4-H - my parents are both leaders and my youngest sibling is still in the program,” Kristie explained. “I personally really connected with the 4-H motto: Learn To Do By Doing. It’s a valuable way to go about life, practicing something over and over again until it is perfect.” But the biggest trait Kristie said 4-H taught her was just to care. “Care deeply about what you’re doing and your projects,” she assured. “It extends to work ethic and self-care.” Kristie made the move to Toronto in 2011 where she joined one of the world’s premier comedy schools of improvisation, The Second City. There, she was able to build up her repertoire and combine working in health care and doing comedy. Today, Kristie is a therapeutic clown at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, ON during the day, and runs her organization, Funnies for Families, on the side. “Funnies for Families is a group of comedians composed of 100 volunteers who go to youth shelters, Ronald McDonald House Charities, children’s hospitals, or grief centres to perform improvisation games for families going through a tough time,” Kristie said. “I started by pitching the idea to some of these places, but now they reach out to us, and we do three to four shows a week, similar to Whose Line is It Anyway.” She explained that 4-H taught her to be brave and jump into things as a leader. “We all have a responsibility to be kind to one another and encourage others to be kind as well; it can make such a big difference in the world,” Kristie noted. “4-H alumni have all the tools to stand up for people who can’t do it for themselves. That small responsibility is really big.” Check out Funnies for Families at funniesforfamilies.com.

"Care deeply about what you're doing and your projects. It extends to work ethic and self-care."