January 13, 2009
Hear from Lysa:
My name is Lysa Heslov. This is my first blog post! I do art exchanges with at-risk kids here in the States, and internationally with children who are suffering from armed conflict. I am not an expert nor a politician, but simply a mother, and I speak with knowledge and conviction when I say that these children did not sign up for this. My philosophy is quite simple – I believe every child in our world deserves to be treated with human decency. They deserve to feel like children!
My organization, Children Mending Hearts, promotes global art exchange with these at-risk children, hopefully creating empowerment, education and empathy, thereby mending hearts and creating peace throughout the world!
Today I leave for the DR Congo to lead a scrapbook workshop, as well paint lanterns and make puppets with children there who have been the victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The scrapbooks were made here in LA at Inner-City Arts, a center for at-risk kids in downtown.
You can take part in the adventure that I and my team – Stan Barrett, Samantha Coker, filmmaker David Serota and Joey Borgogna – are embarking upon by watching for updates on our travels. We are grateful for the support of the International Medical Corps, Samaritan’s Purse, Creative Visions, and the wonderful students at Inner-City Arts who began us on our journey with the beautiful scrapbooks they made for us to share with their brothers and sisters in the Congo. See for yourself…
