About a year ago I started to seriously rethink how I was spending my time, what I was doing with my life. I was starting to enjoy some success with my jewelry business Elyse Jeanne, but I knew I wanted more than success. I wanted satisfaction. I was already volunteering with KOREH L.A., but I wanted to do more. There was the crisis in Darfur, global warming, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq, and so much to do right here in the U.S., not to mention Los Angeles itself.

I narrowed down my scope to the U.S. and then to Los Angeles. As I started thinking about what I could do in my own community, I began to think about what was most important to me, what I was thankful for in my own life. I thought about my family and my friends, but specifically I thought about the experiences I had been privileged to growing up. I thought about my education first and then the arts opportunities I had had.

I thought about the resources I had and what I would be able to give. I didn’t have a lot of money, but owning my own business, I had the ability to create time in my schedule. I had the experience of working with children in the past and had lots of practice teaching and making art. I decided I would be able to give back the most by working with children in my local community.

When I first started working with the students at 32nd Street School I wanted to know what was most important to them. Below is a short video of the compiled answers to the question I posed to a group of 1st, 3rd and 5th graders–what are you thankful for?