CS 241

Clowns Project

In Sarasota, Florida, there is a small, not for profit circus with clowns, acrobats, and other performers. Their web site is at http://CircusSarasota.org. Some of the local hospitals, nursing homes, day care centers, and schools like to have the clowns come in to entertain the children and other people staying there. So the circus has a branch that supplies clowns to them called Laughter Unlimited. Some information about this group is shown below.

Some of the clowns are professionals and work for the circus while others are amateurs. Both are reimbursed for their expenses, which include makeup and transportation. In addition the professional clowns receive a stipend for their efforts. Some of the facilities have a standing request for clowns while others want them only on an occasional basis.

The circus receives contributions from organizations and individuals to support the work of the clowns. In fact, some of the facilities they serve make a contribution at the beginning of the year to cover the clowns’ stipends and expenses. Other donations come from foundations and Sarasota citizens. At the end of the year, the circus makes up for any deficit from its own operating funds. However if there is money left over, it is carried over to the next year.

The circus accountant keeps track of the clowns, the donations, the facilities that the clowns visit, the budget and the list of visits. She keeps much of this information in connected databases. Queries to the databases supply the clowns’ availability, income and expenses, donations, etc.

You are to design a program that will keep track of all the necessary information. Start with the basic lists of clowns, facilities, contributors, the visitation list and the budget. Consider what data should be stored and what each area is responsible for. For instance, for each contributor, you should store how much money was given and be able to add donations when they are received.

You will be working in teams of four. Each team should come up with a design, type it into a word processor and hand it in. The design will be due part way through the semester. At the same time, each team will work on a part of the program, such as the clown list or facilities list. The particular list will be assigned.

Circus Sarasota, Laughter Unlimited

As a not-for-profit corporation, an integral part of the mission of Circus Sarasota is to serve our community. Our community service programs include Laughter Unlimited, which provides clowns to the community.

The therapeutic benefits of clowning have been widely recognized in hospitals across the country in recent years. Circus Sarasota’s Laughter Unlimited program serves our community by providing a professional circus clown to hospitals, nursing homes, day care centers and other institutions to bring joy and laughter to “children of all ages”. Laughter Unlimited provided entertainment for older adults and children in institutional settings, inviting them to not only see a circus performer and learn about the history of circus, but more importantly to participate in a truly inter-active experience.