Dear Friends,
When I was in high school, and the same can be said of college as well, I convinced myself that waiting until the night before to start an intensive and engaging essay due the following day was when I did my best (debatable) writing. The pressure to dig deep to be a creative intellect would drive my writing skills to explode with brilliance. I was, to prove my argument, rewarded by respectable grades when all was said and done. What caused the procrastination was my “busy” schedule at work, partly at play, that prevented me from starting sooner than midnight before the due date. Funny what busy was when you are in your teens, but I was occupied by activities of “immense responsibility” that delayed a head start on my slew of essays and book reports. If only I know what busy really meant. I tell you this story as it is midnight before my newsletter for 2025 is “due”. For that I apologize…this piece of writing will disprove my hypothesis.
I thought last year when I sold my parent’s house, my former office, I would make incredibly good use of the extra hours in my day as my previous 2-hour commute is now a 2-minute walk to my dining room table, however, I am busier than ever! Sure, there is partial validity that I do get distracted…I throw in a load of laundry, vacuum the endless dog hair on the f loors that I see from my “office” and occasionally wander into my vegetable garden to admire my green thumb. During the exhaustive move of storing of 55 years of artwork, correspondences, photo references, record keeping journals, not to mention love letters from my father to my mother, items were stored in a hurried and frantic manner. As Studio Manager/CEO/Executive Director I spend an inordinate amount of my day just trying to find the one thing needed to continue the legacy of supporting the invaluable benefits of art-art education, art appreciation and art therapy. Unlike my procrastination technique, my parents were methodical, intensely focused and committed to a structured practice. Some might say my mom had her own “special way” of staying focused, but her heart was in it nevertheless! I have saved my father’s university syllabi and he did NOT wait until the night before. He was prepared, stayed on task and his students were the blessed recipients of his commitment to his craft, his instruction and his student’s education. As I continue to uncover pieces of my parents beautiful, colorful, and inclusive life I am reminded that maybe it’s time to hurry up and get on with it…whatever ‘it” may be. Don’t wait until the last minute to write, create, teach, share your talents. The world is waiting for you to grace them with your gifts of love, of art and of kindness.
With love and appreciation,
Rochelle
Spotlight
The Mel Ramos (2) and Leta Ramos (2) cash awards were presented to 4 Seniors at Cal State University East Bay in April at the juried “Rising Awards Exhibition and Ceremony”
William Brown
Ariana Sanchez
Juan Barboza
Cal State East Bay juried “Rising Awards” Ceremony presented to 4 students. Agustin Gonzalez also received an award for digital art presentation.
This semester’s “Mel and Leta Ramos Cal State University East Bay Teaching Opportunity Student” Samantha Gelico, has been working with Hayward Unified School District teacher, Marisa Lumia for the semester and lead her own project. She taught art to 51 2nd & 4th graders.
Project: Polymer Clay Keychains
Intention: Make something fun, tangible, innovative, hands on, and something that would be useful to make again. As creativity becomes more accessible and widely recognized, artists are also learning to be entrepreneurs and businesspeople. Inspired by a past job experience working with 4th graders who sold handmade stickers and created a full-fledged, functioning business with employees and a hierarchy of positions. Entrepreneurship inspired, learning to make a product that they and others would love, but f irst and foremost having fun!
Topic: Food (favorite) or food from their culture (community)
And the BIGGEST news in 2024 is we established the Ramos Scholarship in Art Endowment. The funds to seed the endowment will be invested to grow in perpetuity to support students in need of tuition assistance for decades.
Our MOST EVER Grant Recipients for 2025
Natomas Park Elementary School-Sacramento, CA – “Coloring our Classroom with Compassion”
Bishop Elementary School-Bishop, CA – “Throwing ideas into School, Where Education meets Art”
Agua Caliente Elementary School-Cathedral City, CA – “Incentives and Art Galore”
Seaborn Lee Elementary School- College Park, GA- “Art & Music Exploration”
Ethel Phillips Elementary School- Sacramento, CA – “Bring on the Arts”
Cal State University East Bay-Hayward, CA – Student Educational Fund
Creekside Elementary School-San Ramon, CA- Light Table Play for TK Students
Tassajara Hills Elementary School, Danville, CA – “Run, Run, Gingerbread Man”
Compton Elementary School, Powder Springs, GA - “leadHERship through art: Empowering Girls to Create and Lead”
Bella Vista Elementary School- San Ramon, CA – “Social Emotional Learning for Students with or without Disabilities”
Paul J. Dunbar High School- Washington, DC- “Help us create Multimedia Art”
Hazel Strauch Elementary School-Sacramento, CA – “Imagine, Create, and Explore Art”
DeYoung Museum, San Francisco, CA -Student Activity Fund
Coyote Creek Elementary School, San Ramon, CA – “Erase Student Anxiety” by providing erasable pens, we’re giving students the power to learn without permanent evidence of imperfections.
Rowayton Elementary School, Norwalk, CT- “Inspiring Young Artists through Hands-On Creativity”
Commonwealth Ave. Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA – “Unleashing Creativity”
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA – Wildfire recovery donation
Danville Children’s Guild, Danville, CA – Contra Costa Foster Friends fundraiser
Hayward Unified School District, Hayward, CA -Art supplies for Elementary teachers in the Hayward Promise neighborhoods
Silicon Valley Urban Debate League, San Jose, CA – “Students are the heart and soul and become agents of change…and become people who bravely stand up for what’s right”
Aspen Institute for Artist Endowed Foundations- Washington, DC- “BIPOC /Internships for Social Innovation: Advancing Next-Gen Leaders in the Visual Arts”
Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland, CA- “Oakland Teachers and Student Art Programming”
Wilkes Elementary School, Portland, OR- “Art Supplies for a New Art Program”
Green Valley Elementary, Danville, CA- “Learning Through Art”
Fairview Elementary School, Hayward, CA- “Flexible Learners Making the Most of Color- Our students are Deaf and Hard of Hearing – they are kind, sincere, and ARTSY!”
Joyous News and a Heartfelt Ask
My joy comes from finding a project to support and my gratitude comes from our donors who make that happen. Nothing warms my heart more than receiving letters from the teachers and students who we have supported. What may be a humble ask turns into an enormous, enriching, life-enhancing gift.
“Your donation is more than just materials — it’s an investment in my students’ imagination and self-expression.”
“With your support, I can provide students with high-quality supplies like markers, paint, brushes, drawing paper, and other tools that help bring their imagination to life. These materials will not only allow them to complete art projects but also build confidence, fine motor skills, and a lifelong love of the arts.”
“In our classroom, students are not just making art- -they are problem-solving, storytelling, and expressing themselves in an authentic way.”
Dear Rochelle Leininger,
Wow. Thank you so much! I am beyond grateful for your generous contributions and support to my class and kiddos. This year our students will not be receiving art class instruction due to budget cuts so I will be supplementing a lot of art lessons into our learning. These supplies will be a great start for students to express themselves and dive into the art of drawing. With gratitude, Ms. Crespo
To expand the exposure of our mission and the efforts we are accomplishing, we donated lithographs to be displayed in public areas for all to see! We also donate every year to museum art auctions, primarily the Crocker Museum and the Oakland Museum, who use the proceeds to maintain the museum’s ability to allow free access to all visitors.
Exciting things happening next year! We are planning an extraordinary exhibition in Venice, Italy to open concurrently with La Biennale from May 2026 until November 2026. Many iconic works with hang next to beautiful paintings and drawings of Leta. Currently, our team of galleries, collectors and curators are working methodically to create a memorable experience for the viewers. The greatest benefit is that ALL THE PROCEEDS from the sales of lithographs and prints will go directly to the Mel & Leta Ramos Family Foundation! We will also display educational material showing the creative process of Mel as artist and professor.
Our family foundation relies primarily on donations from like-minded friends and family who believe in the importance of arts, education and supporting those keeping creativity available to all.
We have improved the ease in donating by adding PayPal and credit card options on our website. ramosfamilyfoundation.org/donate
Checks are graciously accepted, payable to: “Ramos Family Foundation” and mailed to:
Ramos Family Foundation, 229 Stetson Drive, Danville, CA 94506
Donations can also be made to our Donor Advised Fund through East Bay Community Foundation https://www.ebcf.org/donate/ and choose “Mel & Leta Ramos Family Foundation
Total disclosure: Neither ChatGPT nor AI was used in any portion of this newsletter. Any grammatical errors are all mine!