Every penny counts!

$5 buys paint for our art workshops. $50 sends 12 foster children to a concert. $100 buys four drums for our music program. Click here to donate online or contact us at (213) 747-2777.

Erich Goebel started out as a guitarist on TV shows. His broad discography includes work with John Mayer, Ray Charles, Black Sabbath and P!nk

Erich is a partner in West Triad Recording Studio in Venice, CA and also continues to write, produce, and perform with Vieniste, the well-received French Pop group that he co-founded in late 2007.

Erich has kindly donated hours of his time to build Create Now's new recording studio. He's also going to produce the music of our new guitarists from the Maryvale and Bayfront group homes. We're so grateful for Erich's support!

Thanks to a generous grant from the Redducs Foundation, we are providing a 12-session workshop in Electric Guitar to a group of 11- to 17-year-old boys and girls who live at Bayfront Youth & Family Services in Long Beach. These are kids who are in need of intensive mental health treatment. Playing music is very therapeutic for them.

Teaching artist Mike Madariaga mentors the kids. "Music has changed my life. For a long time, its been one of my goals to give back and teach music to those in need."

The kids are really looking forward to recording their pieces in the new Create Now Production Studio. Sean, 16, plans to record "Purple Haze," while other youth are learning Greenday. Ty, 17, is composing original music to record!

Create Now took the aspiring guitarists to the Grammy Museum as part of our Artistic Journeys program. Bayfront Rehab Therapist Brandon Harrison said, "Some of the kids thought it was going to be boring, but it had a great impact."

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Join us on May 18th at The Hive Gallery and Studios from 7:00-11:00pm for "Flesh: An Art Exhibit Honoring Melissa Ann Rourke." There will also be several pieces for sale from Casa Libre youth. The suggested donation is $10 to benefit Create Now. The Hive Gallery is located at 729 Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014. RSVP: [email protected] or call 424-236-3547 for more info.  

Our partner, Westside Children's Center in Culver City, invited Create Now to participate in their annual Cinco de Mayo event. They provide family strengthening interventions for families at-risk of losing their children, plus foster care, adoption and more services.

Sephora Culver City volunteers were also with us to give the women and girls makeovers. Thanks to volunteers Lauren Cross, Paul Raphel and Natalie Coons, who helped dozens of kids to create puppets out of paper bags, art supplies, and their imaginations.

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We recently shared our Create A Mural Now workshops at Vista Del Mar, thanks to support from the Sony Pictures Entertainment "Emerging Professionals" group. One of these projects involved mounting the painted dorm names over the glass doors of each unit in the secure boys' facility. Here are the murals, which all the kids and staff love.
 

Create Now is growing and we have a few seats open on our Board of Directors and on our Advisory Committees (Finance, Marketing, Strategic Planning and Programs). We are looking for committed and participatory individuals who are interested in becoming more involved with Create Now. To learn more, please email [email protected] and [email protected].