Create Now - Transforming LIves Through Arts Mentoring

October 2012

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About Create Now

Abused Kids Inspired by Filmmaking

Painting Gangs Away

We are delighted that jewelry designer Emily Rabinowitz of Blessed Charm is donating 5% of all the proceeds from her sales to Create Now. We really appreciate her contribution and hope that you will support us when doing your shopping.

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Create Now needs your help 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 sixteen years, we've reached more than 30,000 of these vulnerable kids through our unique arts mentoring and cultural programs and services.

Abused Kids Inspired by Filmmaking

Filmmaking with Michael Aronson Filmmaker Michael Aronson wanted to pay forward what his mentors did for him by introducing filmmaking to foster kids living in group homes.

Michael has been presenting his film Manifesto to these abused, neglected, abandoned and orphaned youth. He's been amazed at the youngsters who have approached him with questions about how they can tell their own stories.

"It was cool and made me want to learn more," exclaimed one young man at Leroy Haynes Center. Derrick Perry, the Director of Residential Services at this group home added, "Michael kept the boys engaged. He did a great job answering their questions."

Filmmaking with Michael Aronson 2 Michael is working with Create Now to set up an eight-week workshop to mentor these youth so they can make their own short films. "Stories are so universal," he asserts. "They connect human beings."

Through your generous contributions, you can support our vulnerable youth in learning how to create now. Click here to donate.

Painting Gangs Away

Graffiti Mural 1 Accomplished muralist Cre8 (Eric Walker) and teens in Santa Monica have been developing their original artwork through our Create A Mural Now workshop at the Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center, which is located in a tough neighborhood that's challenged with gang activity.

Cre8 remarked, "I share with them how art is important in our daily lives along with making a possible career out of it."

Joanna de Jesus, Community Programs Coordinator at Virginia Avenue Park exclaimed, "They really like doing the mural. One young girl, Keya, was so excited when her mother came to see what she had done."

Graffiti Mural 2 Keya enthused, "The mural we are doing is for the Teen Center, so when we get older we can walk past it and say, 'Look, that's our mural.'"

We hope you'll join us at the Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center this Thursday, November 1st at 4:00 pm for the mounting of the mural and join us as we celebrate the youths' artwork.

Thanks to the Westside Children's Center and DCFS for their partnership in bringing this mural to life.