Justin Veatch Fund to Award 3rd Annual Music Scholarship to YHS Senior

When Justin Veatch, the senior and talented musician died from an accidental drug overdose in 2008, his family was devastated. But they started a music scholarship in his name to help out young musicians pursue their passion.

Following his death, the family started The Justin Veatch Fund, a non-profit corporation, which awards scholarships and creates programs to support young, emerging musical artists.

This year Veatch's family will award its third annual music scholarship at the Senior Awards Night at Yorktown High School on June 8. Stephen Graniero, a member of Justin’s class, now attending Purchase Collage, was the first recipient. were Erika Nininger, an Ohio Wesleyan student, and Beatrice Naumann, a runner up, who is studying at Montclair State in New Jersey.

Veatch was known for his exceptional musical gifts and his music has been celebrated on the CD “Permagrin: The Music of Justin Veatch by The Ivoryton Piano Factory and Friends” distributed by Polyvinyl Records and sold in more than 40 states and 8 countries.

In 2010 the Fund joined  in co-sponsoring monthly open mic nights at the . The popularity of First Fridays Café led to The Fund’s creation of an annual two-day summer music workshop. This year, will be held at The Bedford Road School in Pleasantville on July 14 and 15.  It will include the vocal coaching of Sloan Wainwright of the famous Wainwright music family, as well as workshops conducted by Hudson Valley performer TJay and violinist Daisy Jopling of Peekskill.

More information about the workshop and other Fund programs can be found on its website www.thejustinveatchfund.org.

A new part of The Fund’s outreach will include a 40-minute multi-media program titled “A Message from Justin” that discusses what happened to Justin Veatch and how young people can take better care of themselves. Jeffrey Veatch will give the talk on June 21 at the Yorktown Teen Center.

“It took me a year to get this together and it wasn’t easy,” Veatch said.  “I think telling Justin’s story in the way I do it, without being preachy, sends a powerful message to teens on the dangers of substance abuse.”  

Organizations interested in booking “A Message from Justin” should contact Wolfman Productions at (800) 735-4933.