The Thomas Vincent Ramos Cultural Foundation, Inc. (TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc.) is the brain child of Mr. Thomas Eden Ramos, the grandson of Garifuna Settlement Day founder Thomas Vincent Ramos (T.V. Ramos) and is a philanthropic organization developed to help the less fortunate. The corporation was incorporated in the state of California in February of 2016 and is presently awaiting its 501(C3) non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service. Thomas Eden Ramos is the proud owner of Kim's Party Supply in Los Angeles, California.
The corporation was formed to fulfill three missions:
1) Keep the Garifuna spirit, culture, and language alive by exposing the music and its history to the global community through education and charitable related activities.
2) Develop education and charitable related programs that will assist disenfranchised people, especially our youths in our inner cities here in Los Angeles and in Belize, Central America, explore positive behavior.
3) Keep the legacy and spirit alive of Thomas Vincent Ramos and Chief Joseph Chatoyer through educational workshops and cultural events.
Programs that the Thomas Vincent Ramos Cultural Foundation, Inc. have developed are listed in the next section of this web-page.
The Garinagu (singular Garifuna) are a mixture of West/Central African, Arawak, and Carib ancestry. The majority of the population can be found in Roatan, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras and are direct descendants of the Garinagu ancestors from the homeland of St. Vincent and Grenadines in the Caribbean ("Yurumien in the Garifuna language"). The Garinagu paramount chief was Joseph Chatoyer.
The Garifuna people (the "Black Caribs"as they are known in some circles) are one of a few set of black people in the Western Hemisphere that were never enslaved and who still speak a form of the original indigenous language of the Caribbean. They fought back, they ran , and they died. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, they were exiled from St. Vincent and Grenadines (Yurumien) to Central America, where they maintain their culture and language.
Thomas Vincent Ramos, the grandfather of TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. founder Thomas Eden Ramos, is the founder of the Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize Central America after their exile from St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Yurumien). The TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. is a tribute and remembrance of T.V. Ramos hard work and dedication to the Garifuna people, its culture, and its history (click here to find out more about Thomas Vincent Ramos).
One of the foundation's mission is to keep the Garifuna spirit, culture, and language alive through educational workshops, cultural events, and festivals. One such event and festival TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. will use to keep the Garifuna spirit, culture,and language alive will be the November 19th Settlement Day Celebration in Los Angeles, California.
TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. PROGRAMS
1) THE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. SETTLEMENT DAY CELEBRATION IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Every November, the TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. will hold the annual Settlement Day Celebration in Los Angeles, California to honor Thomas Vincent Ramos. The first one will be at the POWER OF LOVE MINISTRIES in Los Angeles, California on Sunday November 11, 2018. This celebration and festival will be a fundraising event for our other programs.
2) THE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Every year, TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. will hold fundraisers to raise funds to assist deserving students pursue higher education both in Belize Central America and in Los Angeles, California. Half the funds will be distributed to high school seniors in the Los Angeles area, while the other half will be dispersed to students in Belize. T.V. Ramos was a strong believer in a solid education and in helping those who wants to get it. The TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. Scholarship Program is one of the ways his grandson Thomas Eden Ramos is keeping his grandfather dream alive.
3) THE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. CLOTH, FOOD, AND TOY DISTRIBUTION
The foundation plans on collecting cloth, canned food, and toys and distribute them to the less fortunate in Los Angeles and Belize every Christmas. Thomas Eden Ramos has teamed up with his daughter's non-profit organization (FEEDING WITH LOVE) and other non-profits to accomplish this part of the mission. Since 2012, he has allowed his daughter to use his facility to distribute food, toys, and clothing to the less fortunate in the surrounding neighborhood on Thanksgiving Day.
4) THE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. TUTORING PROGRAM
By 2020,TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. will have a tutoring program that will assist students with Math and English.
5) THE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. HOMELESS SHELTER AND CENTER IN BELIZE AND IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
This project is a long term project and will materialize when major donors start to participate.
Thomas Eden Ramos spent 25 years as a facility manager for Oakwood Interiors in Ontario, California. During those 25 years, he mastered electrical, mechanical, and industrial engineering skills. Through this shelter and center, Eden wants to pass on the skills he acquired over the pass 25 years as a manager and his musical experiences to the less fortunate, and young people. A sample drawing of what this center and shelter might look like is below.
6) THE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. MUSICAL TEACHING PROGRAM IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA
The TVR Cultural Foundation, Inc. will be opening a music class center in Belize to teach music theory lessons for keyboards, guitars, bass guitars, trumpets, saxophones, and drums. TVR Cultural Foundation will provide all the musical equipment for the kids to learn to play music. The goal is to graduate 60 students annually that is proficiency in playing all the above mentioned musical instruments, and in reading and writing music. We will performed fundraisers annually both in Belize and the USA to purchase the musical instruments and to pay the instructors. This program is scheduled to commence January 1, 2020.
7) THE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. ATHLETIC, HEALTH AND FITNESS PROGRAM IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA
Under this TVR athletic, health and fitness, two programs will be established.
a) The TVR bicycle classic in Belize annually in May (More details will be provided as the overall structure is put in place)
b) The TVR soccer tournament for Dangriga and neighboring towns in Belize (More details will be provided as the overall structure is put in place)
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABLITY ARE TVR CULTURAL FOUNDATION, INC. CORE VALUES. VISIBILITY WITH ALL PUBLICLY DONATED MONEY WILL BE PARAMOUNT.
BELOW IS A VIDEO OF THE SETTLEMENT DAY (NOVEMBER 19th) CELEBRATION IN BELIZE.
BELOW IS A VIDEO OF THE SETTLEMENT DAY (NOVEMBER 19th) CELEBRATION IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.
BELOW IS A VIDEO OF THE SETTLEMENT DAY (NOVEMBER 19th) CELEBRATION IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.
THE SOUND CITY BAND
The grandson of T.V. Ramos, Thomas Eden Ramos, is one of the pioneers of punta rock music. CLICK ON THE SOUND CITY ICON BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.
