OUR FOUNDER

It all started when...

In 2005, empathy drove filmmaker Lysa Heslov to take in a family displaced by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This act then inspired her to visit the war-torn country of Sudan later that year.  These experiences changed her life forever. Struck by how children across the world had similar experiences despite their circumstances or struggle, she began to dream of a way to empower children everywhere and teach them how to become empathetic global citizens through art, creativity and connectivity.

Lysa's philanthropy efforts became more focused. In 2007, she participated in an aid trip to Darfur's refugee camps where she was confronted by the devastating effects of genocide on the country's most vulnerable victims—children. Lysa sought to connect with them through art. She made kites with a group of children who beamed as they watched their hand-made creations take flight. For a brief period of time, they experienced nothing but the simple joy that comes from creative work.

This connection had a profound effect on her, and she found herself wanting to help American children understand empathy and help other children (at home and worldwide) that are affected by poverty, violence, or other painful circumstances.

Soon after, Children Mending Hearts was born. The organization has served the city of Los Angeles and beyond for the past fifteen years, combating bullying and intolerance by inspiring empathy in children through art and service-learning programs. It seeks to empower at-risk children in the United States by connecting them with other children both here in the United States and around the world.

Lysa's dream is to inspire future generations of compassionate and socially conscious citizens who will change a culture of bullying into one of empathy and action. She believes that empathy is transformative; that it can reduce the chance of a child being bullied, enable world leaders to find peaceful solutions, inspire nations to open their doors to families fleeing war and violence, and inspire future generations of loving and compassionate global citizens. She believes that empathy can change the world.

Children Mending Hearts started with 39 kids in Los Angeles. Since that time, the organization has provided free art education programs to thousands of children in all fifty states and Washington D.C.

Lysa and her husband—writer, director, producer and Academy Award winner Grant Heslov—have two daughters of their own.