In October 1999, our first gift was to P.S. 41, which Lorca attended for 4th and 5th grades. P.S. 41 is located on 11th Street in Greenwich Village. The school used the funds to support their Inter School Orchestra (brass and woodwinds), particularly for the purchase of new music stands. The following is an excerpt from the P.S. 41 PTA Newsletter of October 27, 1999:

Music Grant Received by P.S. 41
P.S. 41 has become the first recipient of a $2,500 grant from the Lorca Venetos Music Fund. This fund is a charitable trust established by the Venetos family in remembrance of Lorca Venetos, an accomplished and dedicated musician, and a former student at P.S. 41. The monies are to be used for musical education. On behalf of the entire school, the PTA Executive Board would like to thank the Venetos family for making our school the Fund’s first recipient and for helping to support our Interschool Orchestra Music Program.

P.S. 321

When I first visited P.S. 321, also known as The Children’s Workshop School, located on 12th Street and Avenue B in lower Manhattan, I was struck by the warmth of the staff and the happiness of the children.

This is a small, nurturing educational oasis dedicated to meeting the needs of its students. The program is rather experiential. Children use a wide range of materials including text, workshops, manipulatives, blocks, computers and other hands-on materials. However, they have no gym, no library and until our gift, only grades 2-6 had a music program.

Turtle Bay Music School, through its Public School Outreach Program, provides a teacher two days a week. But they needed more funds to expand the program to include grades pre-K through 1. Our gift, in October 2000, has put that expanded program into effect. 110 more children were able to receive musical instruction. The following is an excerpt from a letter we received from David E. Carleton, Executive Director of Turtle Bay Music School.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Venetos:
On behalf of the entire Turtle Bay Music School family, I would like to express my deep appreciation for the generous gift of $3,500 from The Lorca Venetos Music Fund to Turtle Bay Music School for the Public School Outreach at P.S. 321. We are delighted to welcome the Fund to the TBMS family.
As you know, we depend on support from foundations, corporations and individuals to assist with classes for children at risk in public schools. The Fund’s grant will help us bring musical instruction to approximately 1,350 children in public schools and daycare centers in 2000-2001.
…All of us at Turtle Bay Music School are grateful for the generosity of The Lorca Venetos Music Fund.

The Artists Collective

Our gift in 2001 helped The Artists Collective for Social Change to provide funds for music education for children at risk. The Artists Collective for Social Change Through the Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to melding arts, education and social services in under-served communities in the Metropolitan area. The concept was originally derived from women artists and their supporters to use the healing and inspirational power of the arts to promote positive social change.

Our gift culminated in a production by The Odyssey Players in an original work titled “Permission,” produced and directed by Alexis Marnel, President of The Collective. The dance performance in August 2001 was dedicated to Lorca and his memory. The following is from the program:

This program would not have been possible without the generous support of Nescafe USA and The Lorca Venetos Music Fund.

Alexis Marnel would like to dedicate this performance to her Godson, Lorca Venetos. Thank you, Lorca, for helping us make this happen.

2003 - The fund contributed to Adam's Camp in Colorado (more coming) 2004 - The fund contributed to The Artists Collective for Social Change (more coming)