Art, Community & Inspiration
At Leaders2Give, we believe supporting children means looking beyond their basic needs. Children also need opportunities to explore their interests, discover their talents, build confidence, and simply have fun.
Through free art classes, special projects, and community collaborations, Crescent Moon gives local children opportunities to express themselves creatively, learn new skills, and experience the satisfaction of making something of their own. And because the programs are free, children can participate regardless of their family's financial circumstances.
We'd love to share some of what they've been up to!
Art Studio Classes: Art Without Borders
Every week, Crescent Moon welcomes children ages five through high school to its free art classes, led by local teacher Yasmin Meraz.
Students experiment with different materials and techniques while learning about artists and artistic traditions from around the world.
This year's theme, Art Without Borders, introduces children to creative traditions from different cultures, encouraging them to try new things and develop their own artistic styles.
Learning from Local Artists
One of Crescent Moon's programs is its Artist Collective, where local artists volunteer their time to work with small groups of students.
Over a series of sessions, children get to learn directly from working artists, explore different techniques, and collaborate on creative projects.
Their finished pieces, along with artwork donated by participating artists, will be featured in Crescent Moon's upcoming Art Without Borders Spring Auction.
Taking Art into the Community
Have you seen the murals at Restaurante San Miguel de Allende and Buenos Aires Veterinary Clinic in Los Barriles? Those colourful additions to the community were created with the help of Crescent Moon students, guided by muralist Carla Yannayon.
It's one thing to create artwork in a classroom. It's quite another to walk through your community and see something you helped create on display for everyone to enjoy!
These projects give children a chance to work together, contribute something lasting to their community, and take pride in what they've accomplished.
Summer Fun and Young Leaders
Each summer, Crescent Moon partners with Los Barriles Kids to bring free art experiences to children participating in Curso de Verano, the community's summer camp program.
Older Crescent Moon students also get involved as volunteers, helping younger children with their projects. It’s a lovely way for students who have benefited from the program to take on new responsibilities, develop leadership skills, and share their enthusiasm for art with the next group of young artists.
A Year of Creativity!
Here's a snapshot of what Crescent Moon accomplished over the past year:
• 1,000+ hours of free art experiences
• 175+ children served
• 2 community murals painted
Want to Support Crescent Moon?
Crescent Moon relies on the generosity of community members, artists, volunteers, and donors to keep its programs free for local children.
There are several ways to get involved:
Sponsor a Month: A $300 donation covers one month of rent at the Crescent Moon Art Center.
Donate Art Supplies: Purchase items from Crescent Moon's Amazon Wish List and have them delivered directly to the program.
Make a Donation: Tax-deductible donations can be made through Leaders2Give.
Volunteer: Help with an event, participate in an Artist Collective session, or lend a hand supporting students and teachers.
Attend a Fundraising Event: Enjoy a fun community gathering while supporting children's art programs.
Upcoming events:
November 10 — Mural Appreciation Happy Hour
December 3 & 10 — Margaritas & Ornament Nights
March 18 — Art in Bloom
For more information or to get involved, contact CrescentMoonLosBarriles@gmail.com.
A Thank You from Leaders2Give
We're grateful to the volunteers, artists, teachers, and supporters who make Crescent Moon Project possible. We're also deeply thankful to the generous donors whose contributions help keep these wonderful art experiences free and accessible to local children. Together, they've created opportunities for hundreds of children to discover the joy of art, and we're proud to play a part in supporting that work.
Congratulations to everyone at Crescent Moon on another wonderful year. We can't wait to see what your young artists create in the coming year!
We’re proud to be part of a growing community of partners who are making a difference. Keep reading below for updates from our partners.
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PARTNER UPDATES
El Cardonal Children’s Home
The El Cardonal Children’s Home (formerly John Gullo Home for Children) provides temporary shelter for children in BCS whose families are experiencing medical crises. Read the latest update below:
The Directors of the El Cardonal Children’s Home recently participated in the 5th State Meeting of Civil Society Organizations of Baja California Sur, a gathering created to strengthen nonprofit organizations, encourage collaboration, and build connections across the state.
The event included conferences, panels, working groups, and opportunities to learn from other organizations serving communities in Baja California Sur.
For the home, this was an opportunity to continue building relationships with organizations, institutions, and community leaders who may be important partners in the future. As the Board continues evaluating the best path forward for the facility, these connections help the home stay engaged in the broader network of people working to support vulnerable children and families.
New Creation Kids (NCK) Children’s Home
New Creation Kids is a children’s home just south of La Paz providing safe, stable shelter for children whose families are facing serious challenges such as addiction and homelessness. Read about our involvement with the home below:
As many of you know, NCK has been with us since the very beginning and continues to hold a special place in our journey. Operated by Roberto and Alma Osuna, this independent, registered Mexican nonprofit provides a safe and stable home for up to 30 children at a time.
Children whose parents are unable or unfit to care for them due to circumstances such as addiction, violence, or homelessness.
While Leaders2Give does not oversee NCK’s operations, we help fund essential daily needs like food, electricity, education, fuel, and water. Our involvement also includes stepping in for urgent capital improvements such as cisterns to help address water shortages installed in 2021.
Thanks to your generosity, we currently have enough funding to cover their basic needs for the year. That said, the needs at NCK are ongoing and often unpredictable. If you’d like to help cover the cost of essentials like water deliveries or meals, please consider making a donation. Just $25 can support one child for ten days.
The East Cape Health Center
The East Cape Health Center is a nonprofit clinic in Los Barriles offering full medical and dental services with discounted or free care for families in need.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for East Cape Functional Health Clinic
East Cape Functional Health Clinic is already a reality in Los Barriles, offering more personalized care through medical evaluation, hyperbaric therapy, IV therapies, nutrition, and supplements—all in one place.
Today, these resources are integrated into care based on clinical evaluation and ongoing follow-up, providing a broader perspective on health while working alongside traditional medicine.
Within that same model, hyperbaric therapy can support goals related to recovery, circulation, physical performance, energy, sleep, and overall vitality, depending on each clinical plan.
This broader way of looking at care is also what guides the future of the clinic.
Looking ahead, East Cape Functional Medicine will continue to grow from this same vision: expanding the possibilities of care, creating an increasingly comprehensive experience, and incorporating new tools that strengthen the overall model.
And this is also possible thanks to you. What is already working today is part of a project that continues to grow and look toward the future.
The future of East Cape Functional Health Clinic has already begun: a different way of understanding and supporting health in our community.
Today, we are not talking about an idea. We are talking about a reality that continues to grow thanks to you.
Crescent Moon Project - Art for Children
Crescent Moon Project offers free arts-based classes that spark creativity and help children grow into compassionate, community-focused leaders. Read their latest update below:
Calendar Sponsorship
Art Without Borders
Each year, the Crescent Moon Project Calendar Project helps provide the rent for our art center. Twelve generous sponsors each donate $300 USD, with every sponsorship helping cover one month of rent. In appreciation, each sponsor receives a custom painting created by one of our students, along with a 2027 Crescent Moon Project calendar featuring artwork inspired by this year’s theme, “Art Without Borders.”
When you sign up, you’ll have the opportunity to choose an artist from somewhere around the world whose work will inspire the student painting created for your sponsored month.
Why Your Support Matters
This Calendar Project is vital to keeping our programs going. More than 175 children participated last year in Crescent Moon Project art experiences, contributing to more than 1,000 hours of creative engagement, all provided completely free of charge to our students. Your sponsorship helps us continue providing these meaningful creative experiences to the children of our community.
Become a 2027 Calendar Sponsor
We're using SignUp.com to make choosing your month easy:
Visit our SignUp page and select the month (or months) you would like to sponsor: SignUp.com – 2027 Calendar Sponsorship
Make your $300 sponsorship donation. We offer two ways to make your donation:
Cash donation — our preferred method
Tax-exempt donation — Click any green donate button on this page specifying CRESCENT MOON PROJECT as the organization you wish to support.
Let us know you've made your donation. After making your donation, please email us at CrescentMoonLosBarriles@gmail.com and let us know which payment method you used. This helps us keep track of sponsorships and ensures that we can arrange for you to receive your student painting and calendar.
Thank you for supporting the Crescent Moon Project and for helping us continue to provide meaningful, creative experiences to the children of our community. Your sponsorship does more than help pay our rent—it helps keep our art center open and gives children the opportunity to create, explore, and see the world through art.
Wonderland for Kids Sponsorship Program
Wonderland for Kids is a bilingual Montessori and childcare center in Los Barriles offering a Sponsorship Program to help low income families access affordable childcare. Read their latest update below:
Creating Brighter Futures Through Childcare and Education
Thanks to the generous contributions made through our partnership with Leaders2Give, Wonderland for Kids was able to provide full-time care and education to two children throughout our summer program.
We are especially grateful to continue supporting one of these children in our afternoon program. He is a nonverbal autistic child whose single working mother is doing everything she can to build a brighter future for her family. By providing a safe, nurturing, and educational environment for her son, we are helping give her the support and peace of mind she needs to focus on work and creating new opportunities for her family.
This week, we are also excited to begin our Montessori learning program for the new school year! Wonderland for Kids was created to help fill a much-needed gap in our community for quality childcare and early childhood education—giving young children a place to learn, explore, grow, and thrive while their parents work.
We are incredibly thankful to everyone who helps make this mission possible.
Would you like to help us continue this work? A contribution of $500 per month can provide a child of a low-income, single working mother with childcare and early education Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Together, we can support children while helping their families build brighter futures.
To learn about the different ways to donate to Leaders2Give and any of our Partners, visit our Donate page.