A thought and some extra love for our kids this holiday season
Dear extended Arts Bridging the Gap Family,
It brings me so much joy to be able to reflect and share our impact in 2019 and beyond.
Take 4 minutes to hear it from the team... and see it in their smiles.
I am so proud (and slightly exhausted ;)) to share that this year we have had consistent and meaningful connection with over 1222 Youth and community leaders through our art program.
For each one of the children or community members
it cost us $75 per person for the entire year.
We have completed over 200 hours of virtual reality content creation for social change with our teen girls.
We have sent over 380 letters and art pieces across the globe to our international friends.
We have created 54 community murals across the City of LA designed by youth, LAPD officers and community members – including many friends experiencing homelessness.
We have calculated, on a conservative estimate, that our murals will have been viewed 41,176,960 times – eat your heart out Instagram influencers ;)
It is such a pleasure to get to connect with all of our friends, supporters and believers at the most festive time of the year when there is an added cheer in the air and a sparkle in the night’s sky. Before the year end I wanted to share a special moment with you all and a few really meaningful measures of impact we are excited to report from our 2019!
Last week we brought the young LA born artist Noah Grimes to Holmes Ave elementary school to work with their 5th graders to create a mural together. As Noah shared his artistic journey with the kids one of the boys, Evan (pictured above) jumped out of his seat and, unable to contain himself, yelled out “I never dreamed I’d meet anyone that loves art as much as I do!” and then hugged Noah as if he never intended to let go.
When we started Arts Bridging the Gap (ABG) I believed that if only youth living in underserved communities had art then they would be able to express themselves, heal their trauma and focus on living a full, thriving and happy life. And now in 2019 I have the inexplicable joy of seeing our kid’s eyes and hearts light up - just like Evan’s did- every day, all because they are getting to experience art and themselves. ART does save lives; it transforms dreams to realities, and we believe it is the secret sauce to having our kids lead us into a bright and thriving future for us all!!
