Jill Gurr’s voice overflows with passion as she describes Create Now, the non-profit organization she founded in 1996 to empower underserved communities through arts education and mentoring, which has reached almost 50,000 of the most vulnerable youth in Southern California since its founding. 

“I know in my heart that I’m really good at what I do,” Gurr says about script supervising, “so the idea of being able to share that passion with kids who are in jail or are dealing with worse was so meaningful to me, and I thought, I can’t keep…not making a difference in the world.”

Create Now specifically aims to help people who have experienced homelessness, abuse, neglect, incarceration, and similar challenges through arts programs in music, fashion, writing, performance, visual arts, digital media and culinary arts. 

Recently, Create Now and Aalia Lanius, award-winning author and founder of Unsugarcoated media, recently collaborated on a Creative Writing workshop aimed to celebrate resilience and healing through storytelling for transitional-aged women and their children who are experiencing homelessness. 

Led by a surprisingly small team, that doesn’t hold them back in the slightest. Despite the challenges, the organization has adapted to the changes caused by COVID-19 and have continued to be on the frontlines. 

“Most people don’t realize that there are only three of us doing the work of what normally a dozen people would be doing full-time to accomplish what we have done,” she explains, “and it’s because of our staff’s passion of reaching these kids.”

Having distributed thousands of masks, diapers, and toiletries to families in need, Create Now also has continued offering workshops in writing, belly-dancing, singing, and even magic! They have also partnered with brands such as Havaianas in order to teach the Brazilian dance form capoeira, offer classes in fashion, and provide sandals that kids can decorate. 

Currently, they are in the process of launching three new programs all with foster youth who are living in group homes, including a culinary arts program at the emergency shelter Angel’s Flight and a photography program for teenage girls living in Orange County who have been sexually abused or trafficked. 

These “forgotten children” are never forgotten about by Jill, who has worked hard to create a multitude of diverse arts programs that continuously include, excite and inspire. But these programs provide more than just fun opportunities:

“Especially during challenging times like this, people think of the frontlines as being food, shelter, COVID treatments, but studies over and over throughout decades have proven that the arts have therapeutic value, that they not only build confidence and self-esteem, but they heal and they also create skills that can lead to jobs and careers and motivate people to follow higher education and get their lives together. We have had so many success stories of kids who have discovered themselves through writing, through art, and have gone on to study that and become professionals in these fields.” 

 The organization’s website is filled with success stories, such as Tasha Caufield’s. Tasha was in-and-out of nine detention facilities within two years, but with Create Now’s mentorship, she learned how to write a TV script, received a scholarship from Warner Bros. Studios, graduated from the USC Film School Program, completed her first year of law school, and has published numerous books. .

“I was a forgotten child and I know what it is like to need someone to care. The impact Create Now has had on so many at-risk youth proves how important it is to continue investing in the arts and it is an honor to collaborate and support them,” says Lanius.  Gurr will also be an upcoming guest on the nonprofit media organization’s empowerment-themed award-nominated podcast, Unsugarcoated with Aalia. 

Create Now’s latest project is their upcoming Sip and Paint event on December 12, 2020 “that will enable people to create art at home and do arts and crafts with their kids.” The leaders of Create Now are motivated by their passion to help others, not by a desire to raise revenue, but the materials they provide cost them a great deal of money. 

“We appreciate direct donations that we can use to buy the art supplies. We also have a wishlist on our website of all the materials and things that we want if people want to give in-kind gifts,” says Gurr. However, she emphasizes that direct donations are the most efficient method and there is a donate button on their website createnow.org.

Support Create Now to directly support the futures of these kids!

Written By: Melina Costello, Staff Writer for Unsugarcoated Media
Photo Courtesy of Jill Gurr