All names are pseudonyms to protect beneficiaries’ privacy.
One of the RFC’s earliest grants, made in 1992, was for daycare for the three-year-old son of a political prisoner incarcerated for his fight for Puerto Rican Independence. Today, Romano is a 17-year-old and will graduate high school this May. Over the past fifteen years, grants from the RFC have paid for his daycare, school tuition and music lessons. As his mother explains, “The RFC made possible his studies in one of the best high schools in Puerto Rico… The RFC has helped Romano since his Montessori pre-school. Now he's going to college with an extraordinary academic background. To our family [his graduation from high school] is a very important event and we're VERY, VERY grateful to the RFC community.”
Like Romano, Jesse will graduate from high school this spring. She’ll head to college next fall with years of art lessons, memories of time spent at summer camp, and a new computer to allow her to explore her interest in film, all thanks to the generosity of RFC supporters. The daughter of long-time anti-war and human rights activists who spent years underground, Jesse has received grants from the RFC since 2003. She expressed her gratitude to the RFC community in a holiday card sent to the office this winter: “The computer is exactly what I am going to need for next year [at college]. I am immensely grateful for everything the Rosenberg fund has done for me over the years. You all are wonderful.”
In 2002, the RFC made its first grant to Keisha, the granddaughter of a former Black Panther Party member and COINTELPRO target imprisoned for 35 years. Since then, the RFC has continued to support Keisha, paying for her to attend summer camp and take music lessons. Now 15 years old, Keisha is a gifted musician. In a recent letter to the RFC she wrote, “Through the Rosenberg Fund for Children, I can finally take music lessons at [a well-known music school]. Music has been my passion since elementary school… I have realized that my music is more than just a few chords and song lyrics…it is a way for me to channel my creativity in a constructive way.” Keisha plans to continue her music lessons and is grateful for the generosity of the RFC supporters: “The RFC has completely shaped my life. It has given me opportunities for which I am extremely grateful. Thank you so much!”
The Rosenberg Fund for Children is proud to have played a role in the education and support of these three extraordinary, creative young adults. They are the embodiment of our efforts to “Carry It Forward” to the next generation.