By: Heather Wrixon
New Era Relief’s story begins long before its founding in Los Angeles. It begins across borders rooted in survival, displacement, and resilience.
The nonprofit was founded in 1995 by Rachel Cosmic, born in Israel to a Holocaust-survivor father and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. After immigrating to the United States, she experienced addiction, violence, and homelessness before rebuilding her life through recovery and service. One year after giving birth to her first son, Michelangelo, she founded New Era Relief to help prevent other young people from falling into similar cycles.
For more than 30 years, the organization focused on prevention through community events, youth outreach, and awareness campaigns across the San Fernando Valley. Today, under the leadership of Michelangelo Falcon, New Era Relief is continuing to expand that mission while remaining grounded in community care.
The organization’s approach is not only about providing immediate assistance but also about empowering individuals to break the cycles of adversity that many face. By emphasizing sustainable solutions, New Era Relief aims to equip young people with the skills and resources needed to thrive long-term, fostering resilience and independence for future success, and building a foundation for personal and community growth.
This holiday season, the organization’s annual toy drive has collected hundreds of toys and distributed them to children in underserved Los Angeles communities. The drive is supported through multiple neighborhood drop-off locations, making participation accessible to the public:
- Equvalence: 18007 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91316
- Urban Elegance: 606 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
- ARTHA: 12169 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
- Jungle Hollywood: 1640 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
- MVP Collects: 316 E 2nd St #1A, Los Angeles, CA 90012
In addition to the toy drive, New Era Relief collaborates with local businesses and community leaders to maximize the impact of its outreach efforts. This partnership model strengthens the bond between individuals and the community, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and support, while creating lasting connections that encourage continued collaboration and growth.
In addition to physical toy donations, supporters can also contribute financially. Monetary donations help fund toy purchases, youth programming, and operational support and can be made directly through https://www.newerarelief.org/contact-3, allowing participation from anywhere in the world.
While the toy drive addresses immediate needs, Michelangelo views it as part of a broader strategy. Under his leadership, New Era Relief is launching a Youth Entrepreneur Program designed to scale nationally and internationally. The program intends to pair youth from unstable or underdeveloped communities with mentors from professional and creative industries, providing exposure to careers often unavailable due to a lack of resources.
A defining element of the program is youth-created art, which participants are taught to produce and sell, helping transform creativity into income, confidence, and pride. Proceeds will support both the artists and the program, reinforcing a cycle of empowerment rather than dependency.
By fostering this type of entrepreneurial spirit, New Era Relief helps to instill a sense of ownership and autonomy among young people, creating a ripple effect that can inspire others in their community to take similar paths, building a cycle of empowerment that grows through shared success and collective action.
From a global perspective, New Era Relief’s model could potentially resonate widely. Youth across borders face similar challenges: lack of access, mentorship, and opportunity. By addressing those barriers through dignity-centered empowerment, the organization presents a framework that could travel beyond Los Angeles.
As Michelangelo reflects on the organization’s future, his vision remains rooted in its origins. “This started as a way to stop cycles of harm,” he says. “Now, it’s about creating pathways forward anywhere they’re needed.”
