Elaine Vercellone, also known as Daisy D. Dots, became a professional clown in 1987 when she was a young mother in New York.

Elaine says you will never see a rich clown, but she loves performing at parties, hospitals and senior centers, spreading smiles everywhere.

She has performed all over the world to benefit various charitable causes, and in 2018 she was named "Clown of the Year" by the National Clown Association.

She is now here on the Southcoast, establishing the Smile Factory Theater Co. at 88 Hatch Street in New Bedford just over a year ago.

Since then, she's taught dozens of youngsters lots of clown "tricks" but said the skills they've learned can be really important for their future, like improved self-esteem, public speaking, and self confidence.

This week she shared her amazing story on Townsquare Sunday. You can listen to her appearance here:

Townsquare Sunday is a weekly public affairs program heard every Sunday morning at 6 a.m. on 1420 WBSM. Interview segments can also be heard at WBSM.com, on the WBSM app, and on WBSM TV on YouTube.

If you have a public event, festival, or neighborhood activity you want to publicize, submit your information here. You can also send an e-mail to Jim Phillips at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com

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