March 2013

Thanks to Sephora

Donate Now

Friendship Bracelets

About Create Now

Vulnerable Kids Paint Troubles Away

Homeless Children Drum for Fun

New Board Chair

Culver City

Create Now is honored that the Sephora store at the Fox Hills mall in Culver City has selected our charity to be the recipient of their new "Values Inside Out" national fundraising campaign. Please shop there on Saturday, March 23rd when they'll donate 20% of their net proceeds. Stay tuned for more info on ways to give back through Sephora in Culver City.

Every penny counts!

$5 buys paint kits for five abused kids. $50 sends dozens of homeless children to concerts and plays. $100 enables hundreds of troubled youth to play musical instruments.

Click here to donate online or mail your check to: Create Now; 1611 S. Hope Street, # E, Los Angeles, CA 90015. You can also contribute through PayPal at: info@createnow.org.

Your donation is tax deductible.

Blessed Charm jewelry designer Emily Rabinowitz taught foster girls at Aviva Center in Hollywood how to make beautiful friendship bracelets.

Create Now is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996. Our mission is to transform the lives of youth in need through arts mentoring and experiences. Our charity serves vulnerable kids who have been abused, neglected, abandoned and orphaned, homeless, runaways, throwaways, teen parents, victims of domestic violence, children of prisoners, substance abusers, gang members or incarcerated. In the past 16 years, we have reached more than 30,000 of these troubled youth through our unique arts mentoring and cultural programs and services.

Vulnerable Kids Paint Troubles Away

Sony Mural 1 Our two Create A Mural Now workshops through our partnership with the "Emerging Professionals" employee group at Sony Pictures Entertainment were a huge success with the youth at Vista Del Mar in Culver City.

On March 8th, 22 of these teenagers were given a private tour of Sony Pictures Studios. The next day, over 40 Sony Pictures Emerging Professionals assisted the teens at this mental health facility to paint diverse murals. One focused on "Healthy Living," while the other project helped boys in the locked unit to create paintings that identify their dorms as Ocean, Sky and Earth.

Sony Mural 2 The kids were thrilled with the experience. Brenee, age 17, exclaimed, "This was my best day! And I didn't even want to paint in the first place."

Ryan, age 16, remarked, "Painting brings up mixed emotions in my life, like bad emotions, mad, sad. Afterwards, I feel like I took a weight off my chest."

Tyson Petrovich, President of the Emerging Professionals group said, "It's been awesome and fun today. It's relaxing and great to meet the kids. They're going to be able to brighten up their everyday lives with these murals and we've just been having a blast."

Sony Mural 3 Wendy Abdalla, Director of Rehabilitation Services commented, "This is an opportunity for the kids to be part of something permanent, where people help them through a process of completing something. The self-esteem and the fact that volunteers come in is truly a gift for them. And they know it. I can see by their smiles and the calmness of what's going on here."

Homeless Children Drum for Fun

Paul Raphel is a TMZ Live Producer and he wanted to give back to the community by helping some young homeless children to beat drums (donated by Remo).

The event took place at the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission emergency shelter in North Hollywood on February 24th. Enjoy some photos of the kids in action:

Drumming at SFVRM 5

Create Now Has a New Board Chair

We're excited that Create Now has a new Chair of our Board of Directors. Therese Nolasco's business experience includes transaction and advisory services at KPMG a

nd operational finance, business development, and brand management at The Walt Disney Company. She currently serves as a social impact strategy consultant to a variety of social enterprises.

Visual arts and music have always been an integral part of Therese's life. She grew up playing the piano and violin, and understands the transformative power of creative expression. As Board Chair of Create Now, she seeks to fulfill the organization's mission/vision and ensure that underserved youth have access to arts experiences that will allow them to unlock their creative potential. Everyone at Create Now is delighted to welcome Therese as our new leader.