By Jen Cowart

Local business helps further dream for 'Tuesday’s Child'

Posted 7/26/17

Recently, Anthony Marrapese was asked to host an event for the airing of a “Tuesday’s Child” segment for Channel 10. The boy, Charlie, was looking for a forever family and visited Marrapese’s …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
By Jen Cowart

Local business helps further dream for 'Tuesday’s Child'

Posted

Recently, Anthony Marrapese was asked to host an event for the airing of a “Tuesday’s Child” segment for Channel 10. The boy, Charlie, was looking for a forever family and visited Marrapese’s recording studio to record a rap song as part of the segment, along with Patrice Wood and her crew.

When Marrapese met Charlie, he was struck by just how quickly he picked up a tune on the piano and figured out the workings of the “Beat Thang” beat machine, and he had an idea as to how he could do his part to help Charlie.

Marrapese took to social media and asked everyone to consider donating $10 each to help him secure a keyboard for Charlie. Overwhelmed by the responses, Marrapese was able to do much more than he even anticipated.

Last week, Charlie returned to Reel to Real, where unbeknownst to him, he would be receiving several gifts to help him further his musical dreams while he awaits finding his forever family.

When Charlie walked through the door of the studio, Marrapese was there to greet him while waiting just inside the room where Wood and her crew, along with family members of Keri O’Donnell, representing the Keri Anne O’Donnell Memorial Fund, including Keri’s sister, Kayla O’Donnell and her mother, Karen O’Donnell, who were there to present Charlie with a scholarship check from their foundation, which would go towards music lessons.

“You did such a good job playing the other day and sequencing beats, it looked like you were really enjoying it,” Marrapese said to Charlie as he came into the room. “I put the word out on my Facebook page and let a couple of my friends know that we wanted to do something for you and we have some equipment here for you to learn how to play and to learn how to make some beats and we’ve got someone donating money so you can take some lessons and in about a year from now, we expect you to be famous.”

Although initially overwhelmed by the room full of people, Charlie sat right down at the keyboard and beat box and started to play around with his new equipment, with Marrapese showing him some tricks of the trade.

Karen O’Donnell stepped forward to present Charlie with his scholarship money, earmarked for piano lessons in the coming weeks.

“This is for you for music lessons,” she said. “We have a scholarship fund set up in honor of our daughter. Her name was Keri Anne O’Donnell and we use the scholarship funds that we have collected over the years for the children and young adults who have expressed an interest in the arts, to help them. So we have donated some money for you to use for music lessons.”

Wood and Charlie spent some time at the end of the session, playing a few things together and Wood asked Charlie what he thought the new gifts would mean for him and for his future. He was thankful, and looked forward to being able to learn new music and to have the opportunity to have his own instruments and technology to learn it on.

The latest Tuesday’s Child segment aired this week and can be found on the station’s website.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here