DEBRA WILSON BRINGS FUN TIMES TO HOMELESS SHELTER

Create Now was delighted when Debra Wilson (actress/comedian, “MADtv”) agreed to star in our new Public Service Announcement (PSA), which you can view below. We set up a one-time Music and Art Workshop at Comunidad Cesar Chavez, an emergency shelter in Boyle Heights for homeless families. They have around 30 young children living there for up to four months.

Debra planned to help out for just a few hours, but once there, she fell in love with the kids! As a result, she volunteers her time every other Sunday afternoon to interact with the children. Sometimes she reads them books, putting all of her passion and energy to make the characters come alive. Other times, Debra guides them to make a variety of arts and crafts projects.

For Halloween, Debra helped the children to make bright, sparkling pumpkin pictures, which they personalized and hung on their doors for trick-or-treating at the shelter. They also had a blast decorating ginger cookies with black icing and candy, thanks to a donation from Christopher Ameruoso. Last week, Debra bought thousands of glow beads so the children can create beautiful bracelets and rings for themselves and their loved ones.

Debra said, "All of these families have become my family. And in turn, we have become ONE family. The bonding experience through socializing, crafts, music and storytelling has truly made an impact on my commitment to Create Now."

Mayra Chavez is the Children's Program Coordinator at Comunidad Cesar Chavez. She said, “Debra Wilson's reading time and craft program have greatly impacted the children's interest in academics. They are now more engaged in reading and they seem to want to take books home to read. Overall this is an amazing program for our families to have and we are thankful that Debra Wilson has dedicated her time and energy in helping our children succeed."

Here’s what the kids have to say:

Jackie (age 10) said, “What I like about Debra’s workshops is she makes them more funner. She inspired me to make more creative things. I love hanging out with her and doing arts and crafts and coloring and doing voices with her.” Jeffrey (age 9) said, “Debra’s really funny and we do fun stuff. She does reading and I like arts and crafts.”

Adriana (age 4) said, “I like when she reads. I like ‘Beauty and the Beast.”

Maria, (age 8) remarked, “I like reading with Debra because it’s fun because she acts. ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ is my favorite.”