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Philanthropic Shriner Jim Birdwell Takes Clowning Around Seriously By Dianna Troyer Dressed as a clown, Jim Birdwell’s octogenarian fingers blur as he twists and tucks a long, slender balloon. Within seconds, he hands a tiny dog to a child whose eyes widen in wonder and gratitude. “I’ve made so many of these, I could do this in my sleep,” says Jim, 89, a clown for Shriners International since 1997. He works swiftly as eager children crowd him at the Bannock County Fairgrounds during the Shriners’ circus in June. Besides the dog, he whips out parrots, bumblebees, and butterflies. “I always tell people, ‘Give me a smile,’” he says. “I’ve had so damn much fun being a clown all these years, I can hardly stand it. Whatever I do, it’s for the children.” Jim became a clown as a retirement hobby. After selling a grocery and curio store in Fort Hall in 1995, he and his wife, Val, moved to Pocatello. He had been a longtime member of a Masonic Lodge, and a friend in the organization asked him if he would like to be a clown for Shriners. “To be a Shriners clown, you have to be a Mason first,” explains Jim. “I thought it sounded fun. They taught me what I needed.” Not that he needed much help. “He’s always had a great sense of humor,” says Val. Jim is known as Nickel the Clown to Pocatello children and to patients at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Salt Lake City. “My wife came up with that name because she says that’s all I’m worth,” says Jim with a grin. National organizers at Shriners Jim Birdwell makes a butterfly for consider him priceless. In 2011, Treven Belcher during the Shrine the organization awarded him the Circus in Pocatello. (Photo by Di- prestigious El Korah Shrine Award anna Troyer) of Merit for his philanthropy. Since 2002, Jim has collected or bought at least 2,000 stuffed animals for children at the Shriners Hospitals. “It’s been proven that a stuffed animal can help children relax because their mind is focused on it,” says Jim. “If they hug that animal before they have surgery, and it’s there for them when they’re done, they’ll have a strong recovery. That stuffed animal helps take their mind off any pain they might be feeling.” He credits his granddaughter with giving him the idea. “She was working at Shopko and told me they had stuffed animals left over from Christmas, and they were 75 percent off,” he recalls. “I knew the kids at the hospitals would like them, so I bought them. Local Shriners donated money to help pay for them.” Anonymous donors also help. “Our one neighbor writes Jim a check several times a year and tells him to go buy (Continued on page 41)