Our Impact - Timeline
2011 - We continued to provide a variety of programs in the arts for foster youth, including dance and grooming at Vista Del Mar, arts and crafts at Hillsides, plus costume design and creative writing at Aviva Center. Our Graphic & Web Design workshop with Job Readiness at Phoenix House is a big success. We initiate singing, dance and comedy workshops for our Show Off program at L.A. Family Housing. The 25 children involved perform "The Transformers Talent Show" for all the residents at this homeless shelter, along with British Consulate General Dame Barbara Hay and special guests from Egypt and Morocco through the International Visitors Council (IVCLA). We continue to give popular presentations to these diplomats who are invited by the State Department. Workshops in music and art are provided at Westside Children's Center, Graphic Design at artWORKS, dance at Miriam's House for children of substance abusers, and a Newsletter workshop at Children's Institute. Debra Wilson stars in our PSA to promote our work and bonds with the children at Comunidad Cesar Chavez homeless shelter and continues to mentor them. Organized a successful conference for LA CHAMPS at the California Endowment. IVCLA presents us with their prestigious "2011 Community Resource Award" at the Wilshire Country Club. We served a total of 3,389 of the most vulnerable children in the region. Founder/Executive Director Jill Gurr published her book, "Mentor Youth Now: A Guidebook for Transforming Young Lives," with 20% of the proceeds going to Create Now
2010 - We are selected by the British Council and VSO to participate in the first multilateral Global Xchange that brings together community leaders from six countries (France, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, UK and US) to share best practices. Founder and Executive Director Jill Gurr is one of the first four Americans ever chosen to participate in this international exchange program. She spends three weeks in Durban, South Africa in January and three weeks in Belfast, North Ireland in March interning with local youth organizations and helping coordinate community music events. In May, SAMHSA selects us (along with 249 other innovative organizations around the country) to attend a Summit in Washington, DC. Through this, LA CHAMPS (L.A. Community Health And Moving People to Success) is developed as a coalition that SAMHSA will support. We are more active in the Violence Prevention Coalition Reentry Group to help ex-offenders returning home, sponsored by the CDC. We are awarded two AmeriCorps VISTAS: Resource Development to build our individual donorbase and Program Development. We collaborate with Phoenix House to create three Graphic and Web Design workshops that include jobs and internships for the students. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas hires us to bring our "Create A Mural Now" workshop to Lennox Park for a huge community mural focused on their vision of the future. Over 100 children and parents participate and there is a big celebration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Volunteer Angelique Toschi puts on a fund-raising Talent Showcase where 17 foster youth have the chance to shine as they sing, dance and share their poems. It's a magical event that we plan to offer more frequently. In spite of the economic recession and challenges, with the support of 50 mentors we reach 3,638 vulnerable youth -- an increase of 420 from the previous year. We move to a fabulous new office downtown that is twice the size of our other place and a lot cheaper.
2009 - We initiate a Peace Mural at MacLay Middle School in Pacoima, thanks to support from City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. Our “Create A Mural Now” workshops are selected to be listed in the L.A. County Arts Education Program Directory. Our Introduction to Art workshops teach drawing, painting and sculpture to 45 teenage girls incarcerated at Camp Scott. An evaluation by the Department of Probation shows that 71% of these students have higher self-esteem. Other Take heArt visual arts programs are enjoyed at L.A. Family Housing, Vista Del Mar, Rescue Mission Alliance, Starview Adolescent Center, Haven Hills domestic violence shelter, Five Acres, Hope Gardens, Pennacle Foundation and Project Six. Our Sound Off music programs include a Guitar Workshop at Optimist Group Home for teenage foster boys, a Percussion Workshop for children at Upward Bound House homeless shelter and classical music appreciation for abused and neglected children. Write Now literacy programs are diverse, with Screenwriting Workshops for LGBT youth at Lifeworks, and homeless kids at Children’s Lifesaving Foundation, plus Creative Writing Workshops at Aviva Center, 826LA and Phoenix House. Our Show Off performing arts program includes a Theatre Workshop for abused children at Hollygrove and Improv Theatre Workshops at Vista Del Mar and Starview Adolescent Center. In spite of the economic recession, we gain two new supporters: Oprah's Angel Network and the Kaiser Permanente Foundation. We bring 2,811 vulnerable youth to concerts, plays and other cultural events at premiere venues, with a total of 3,228 youth served this year. We have reached over 20,000 high-risk and at-risk youth since our inception.
2008 - Our network includes more than 1,200 youth facilities in the region. Founder Jill Gurr is honored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in their new exhibit “Everyday Heroes” at the Museum of Tolerance. We sponsor a Peace Mural at the 186th Elementary School in Gardena for children from the troubled Harbor Gateway community. This culminates with our International Cultural Festival, where we invite 500 people from this racially-divided neighborhood to enjoy free food, dance, music and arts activities. The event is covered on ABC-TV and Fox-11 News. Tasha completes her first year of law school at the University of Northern Illinois in Chicago. We provide a "Homeward Bound" mural project for 15 homeless children at Rescue Mission Alliance emergency shelter. The mural is featured on NBC-TV news and culminates with a visit for 80 homeless kids and their families to a Hip Hop Workshop at the Ford Amphitheatre. Good News for Kids Foundation donates proceeds from their Gala where our former Chair Mark Schulman is the keynote presenter, along with guitarist Vivian Campbell of "Def Leppard." We are featured in the California section of the Los Angeles Times and reach a new high of bringing our services to 5,623 youth for a total reach since our inception of 18,089.
2007 - We are featured on CNN’s "Anderson Cooper 360°." We increase our network of youth facilities served to around 800 shelters, group homes, detention facilities and other youth agencies throughout Southern California. Our donors and partners also expand greatly, to include the Music Center, Pasadena Playhouse, Royce Hall, Long Beach Performing Arts Center and more. Cirque du Soleil brings 400 youth to their show "Corteo." Workshops in art, music, writing, acting and other disciplines are offered to more high-risk kids. Our services expand to include notices sent out multi-weekly to our network about jobs, scholarships, free eyeglasses, computers and other resources and opportunities for the kids. "LA Street Scenes 2" is presented at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Venice, along with an auction, as a fundraising benefit. We reach almost 4,000 youth, the most ever served in one year. We have served over 12,000 youth since our inception.
2006 - We celebrate over 10 years of serving high-risk and at-risk youth. We receive a grant to bring on second staff member, Director of Development, Robin Garfield. The organization collaborates with Yahoo! to bring 200 homeless youth to the Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl, and with STAPLES Center to coordinate mural paintings and ticket donations with six different facilities for troubled youth in downtown Los Angeles, for their “Miles of Smiles” program. The Promenade Playhouse in Santa Monica sponsors a fundraising benefit, “L.A. Street Scenes,” that features original work by youth in our writing program. Our Artistic Journeys program includes 600 tickets to Cirque du Soleil's "Delirium" and 100 to "Quidam" and expands to the Ford Amphitheatre, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Huntington Library and the Norton Simon Museum. We reach 2,714 additional youth.
2005 - Founder Jill Gurr is featured on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" as one of the first people in their “Making a Difference” series. "The Hollywood Reporter" publishes an article on our organization. We partner with Cirque du Soleil to bring over 1,000 troubled youth from San Bernadino and Orange Counties to "Varekai." Our first fundraising benefit at The Improv in Hollywood raises essential money for our services, as comedians like Carlos Mencia, Pablo Francisco, Debra Wilson Skelton, Tony Rock and others entertain the crowd. We reach 1,700 more youth.
2004 - We impact over 4,000 needy youth through creative arts programming. The organization expands to include Ventura and Kern counties. One student, Tasha, graduates from USC Film School. Cirque du Soleil donates 800 tickets for "Varekai" to troubled youth in Orange County. We serve 1,146 kids.
2003 - We expand to Orange, San Bernadino and Riverside counties to be able to match more mentors with youth in their communities. We sponsor a Christmas Art Contest at Children’s Institute. Cirque du Soleil donates 900 tickets to troubled youth in Los Angeles for "Varekai." Our tremendous growth brings arts services to 1,410 youth for the year, totaling 2,930 kids reached since our inception.
2002 - "Back Stage West" highlights our organization for volunteer opportunities. Mark Schulman begins presenting his motivational drumming seminars with his mentee Michael Monroe (a.k.a “KL") at detention facilities. We bring our services to 1,520 youth in total.
2001- "California Lawyer" features our student Darontay McClendon in an article. Darontay debuts in the movie “Gang Tapes” and is nominated for two awards. Two of our participants get to attend the popular E3 Expo at the Convention Center.
2000 - We serve 1,000 youth throughout Los Angeles and begin a long-standing partnership with the ShowBiz Expo, where our youth find opportunities for internships and jobs in the entertainment industry. The "Daily Variety" features us and the "Los Angeles Times" publishes an extensive article on the organization in the “Westside Weekly” section. We start a beneficial collaboration with the House of Blues where we invite dozens of our youth to attend their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. We serve a total of 1,122 youth since our inception.
1999 - We sponsor an art, music and poetry Talent Contest for 220 incarcerated boys. The organization is featured in the "Malibu Surf Side News." We coordinate a TV Sit-Com Workshop that culminates in a visit for 15 kids from Mid-Valley Youth Center to a taping of “That 70’s Show,” where they meet the stars. The Geffen Playhouse begins a long alliance of donating tickets to their performances for our youth. We grow to serve 604 high-risk youth.
1998 - Organization changes its name to Create Now to include more comprehensive arts programming – adding music, art and cultural excursions, bringing multiple art disciplines to youth. Initiated several successful programs in Orlando, which last until 2002. We serve 50 youth.
1997 - We initiate a number of creative writing mentoring programs at Central Juvenile Hall and Mid-Valley Youth Center. We serve 15 youth.
1996 - Leslie Stevens from the American Film Institute gives a $5,000 donation to start Write Now as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. We officially serve 8 youth.
1995 - Jill initiates a second workshop at Pride House, a coed detention facility in Van Nuys and finds similar results in improving literacy and inspiring youth to change their lives.
1994 - Jill Gurr initiates a Screenwriting Workshop at Optimist Youth Homes for up to 30 teenage boys and sees kids previously illiterate, learn to read and write. Others are inspired to finish school or apply to college. One gang leader has tattoos removed.