It started in our classroom.

We had children with autism, ADHD, and emotional challenges. Children who often struggled in other settings. They would come to art class and something would shift. A child who couldn't speak would choose a color. Another would draw a shape and quiet themselves. One day, a child who had never said the words spoke aloud for the first time: "I feel sad."

That was our beginning.

We realized these children didn't need only art lessons. They needed a safe space to heal. A space where they could feel something, name it, and be met with care.

From that conviction grew Little Da Vinci Entrepreneurs. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to art as a tool for healing, identity, and possibility.

Run by students. Created for the community.

LDVE is led by middle and high school students who are deeply committed to their artistic growth and training. Our students do more than simply volunteer. They help plan programs, organize events, lead projects, and create meaningful experiences that serve the wider Orange County community.

Our programs:

• Summer Art Programs in Title I Schools. Free instruction in partnership with Anaheim Elementary School District, where 73% of students are economically disadvantaged and rarely have access to arts education during school breaks.

• Milal Mission AGAPE Program. Sensory art for adults with autism and developmental disabilities.

• Orange County Rescue Mission. Healing arts and mentoring for at-risk children.

• Food Bank Mural Project. Public murals created alongside low-income families.

• Community-Engaged Art Exhibitions. Annual exhibitions where the community doesn't just view art but makes it alongside our students.

• International Outreach — San Quintín, Mexico. Service visits to a remote village where young mothers raise their children with little access to education or care. Our students travel to be with them, support the children, and bring art into a place where it is rarely seen.

• The Bridge Project (in development). An art-based café and vocational pathway for young adults with developmental and intellectual differences.

And while we do this work for the community, something quieter is happening alongside it. Our students learn what it takes to design a program, sit on a real board, raise resources, and partner with school districts. That's the second half of what LDVE is for. And the reason behind our name.

Two missions, woven together

LDVE was founded on a simple conviction: that art can heal, and that young people who learn to heal others learn something irreplaceable about themselves.

For the children, adults, and families we serve, we offer art as a tool for emotional expression, identity, and access to opportunity.

For the middle and high school students who run our programs, we offer something quieter. The chance to design real programs, serve on a real board, raise resources, and learn what it takes to address a community need from the inside.

This dual work is reflected in our name. Our students are not volunteers. They are Entrepreneurs. Young people building, today, the structures of care society will need them to build as adults.

There are many ways to be part of this work. Whether you want to support a child's healing, sponsor a young leader, partner on a program, or simply learn more, we'd love to hear from you.

Become a Sponsor or Donor Your gift funds art materials, free programming in underserved schools, and the launch of The Bridge Project. LDVE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; all donations are tax-deductible. EIN: 33-2459936

Corporate & Foundation Partnerships We work with foundations and businesses whose values align with art, equity, and youth opportunity.

Become an LDVE Entrepreneur LDVE membership is made up of students from Da Vinci Art Studio. Our model is built on the rigorous artistic training our members receive at the studio, which they bring into every program they design and lead. Membership applications open each spring.

Join as a Project Volunteer If you are not a Da Vinci student but would like to help with an LDVE project, we welcome you. We work with project volunteers on larger events, service activities, and community programs whenever extra hands are needed. Please reach out and let us know how you would like to be involved.

School & Community Collaborations Are you a Title I school, community organization, or service partner who wants to bring art programming to your community? Let's talk. ldvevolunteers@gmail.com

General Inquiries +1 (714) 615-0684 | ldvevolunteers@gmail.com | Orange County, California