Create Now - Transforming LIves Through Arts Mentoring
October 2011
Milestones
Veggie Grill
Donate Now
About Create Now
Flash Mob
LA CHAMPS
Kids Talent Show
Thanks to the John W. Carson Foundation
Welcome VISTAs
Camille and Daniele
We would like to welcome our two new AmeriCorps VISTAS: Volunteer Assistant Camille Brown and Development Assistant Daniele Dickerson. They have already made a big difference since they started working with Create Now in September. We greatly appreciate their support!

 

Balloons28,000 Youth Reached in 15 Years!

 

Create Now is proud that  we have provided our arts programs to over 28,000 of the most vulnerable kids in our community. Thank you for your support!
Veggie Grill

Save the Date

Come join us on Thursday, November 10th at the Veggie Grill located at 8000 Sunset Blvd. near Crescent Heights from 5:00 to 11:00 pm for a scrumptious veggie meal. 


Just present their flyer to give 50% of the proceeds from your meal to Create Now, which will directly benefit vulnerable kids through our creative arts mentoring programs.

Click here to download the flyer.

We hope to see you there!


Create Now needs your support. Every penny counts so please click here to donate online, or send your contribution to: 1611 S. Hope Street, Suite # E, Los Angeles, CA  90015.
Create Now is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996. Our mission is to transform the lives of high-risk and at-risk youth through creative arts mentoring, education, resources and opportunities. The organization serves kids who have been abused, neglected, abandoned and orphaned, are left homeless, runaways, teen parents, victims of domestic violence, children of prisoners, substance abusers, gang members or incarcerated. In the past fourteen years, we've reached over 28,000 of these vulnerable kids through our unique arts mentoring and cultural programs and services.   

Flash Mob With At-Risk KidsZAM FEST

Create Now is thrilled that we have partnered with ZAM FEST this Saturday, October 15th to bring our youth to this fun-filled family event that will take place from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at 386 E. Shoreline Drive, Marina Green Park in Long Beach. We'll also receive proceeds from the festival.

There will be nonstop music and dance all day long, as well as a Human Hamster Ball, a Zipline, DJ "Scratch" and many other activities to keep you happy for hours.

We're excited that kids from Children's Institute have been rehearsiZAM FEST Rehearsalng with choreographer Stella Choe and talented dancers from the EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood to put on a Flash Mob performance during the festival at 12:15 and 2:15 pm .

Come visit us at our booth where we'll be drumming and creating percussion music, decorating cool address books and painting faces. Meet some of the youth that we serve as they earn community service credit for helping to set up the event. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS AT OUR BOOTH. Email camille@createnow.org or click here to buy tickets. We look forward to seeing you there!

LA CHAMPS Conference a Success!

In May 2010, Create Now was one of 250 faith and community based organizations selected from 15 of the most troubled cities in the country by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) to attend a special summit in Washington, DC. LA Champs Conference

We were informed that with the new healthcare reform initiative, funding to mental health and substance abuse agencies will change and support will only be given to collaborations, rather than individual grants.

LA CHAMPS (Community Health And Moving People to Success) was formed to represent Southern California. We have been growing so fast that our Executive Director Jill Gurr (who has been the co-leader of LA CHAMPS), was invited back to DC in July 2011 to present our collaboration as a role model for the 11 new cities that were invited there to start coalitions.

Our Steering Committee has worked diligently and on September 30th, LA CHAMPS held our first conference at the California Endowment downtown, thanks to a generous grant from Westside Children's Center. We were delighted that Dr. Westley Clark (Director of SAMHSA) presented, along with other powerful speakers.
LA Champs GroupThe 100 attendees who work at diverse substance abuse and mental health service agencies were very impressed with all of the great information that was shared during our conference.

Jolie Laurent, who is the Director of Operations and DCFS Program Administration at Westside Children's Center said, "I took five pages of notes that will benefit my Executive Director, support and clinical staff, parents and providers. It's truly a community effort."

Learn more on our website: www.lachamps.org.

Kids Talent Show Thanks to the OC100

OC100 are a group of wonderful volunteers who have come together through WorldWorks with the goal to stand as a source of an inspired, committed, and empowered world. Their team has been working diligently to raise funds for Create Now. As part of their efforts, they organized a Talent Show for the kids that we serve.

Held on Sunday afternoon, September 30th at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood, a dozen homeless and foster kids from ages 5-20 and a number of different facilities had the chance to sing, dance, read their poetry, show off their karate moves and tell funny jokes.

Not only did the amazing OC100 team raise crucial money to keep our programs going, but they also gave these youngsters fabulous prizes and the opportunity of a lifetime to share their talents with a delighted audience. They will always remember hearing their parents' applause and shouts of, "That's my baby!"

Johnny Carson

Thanks to the John W. Carson Foundation

We are very grateful to the John W. Carson Foundation for their generous grant for operating expenses that will enable Create Now to maintain and expand our arts mentoring programs. Thanks to their support, we can improve our programs and offer more services to the neediest kids in our community.