Aventura couple to host special Father’s Day concert on Facebook
Peter and Veronica Fuchs have been a duo for 60 years. Much of that time, they have been making and sharing music.
They met the summer of 1960 in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, where Veronica was singing in John L. Price Jr.’s “Musicarnival” with a summer tent theater. The group hosted productions of musical theater, operetta and opera. Peter was the conductor.
Now Veronica, 83, and Peter, 91, live and perform at Vi at Aventura. They have four children and two grandchildren.
This Father’s Day, on Sunday, they will host a special virtual performance at 1 p.m. for our community, which is so in need of inspiration and uplifting events. The concert will air live on Veronica Fuchs’ Facebook page.
With social isolation continuing as a crucial reality for seniors during the pandemic, the couple has embraced technology to share their music and connect with friends, family, and neighbors.
Peter, who is a pianist and celebrated Broadway musician and composer, and Veronica have already been sharing their gift of music through a daily one-hour Facebook Live segment called ‘Stump the Maestro.’
Veronica, one of 11 children, said she came from a musical family. She recalls putting on shows with her siblings while her mother sang and played the piano. She began singing in women’s clubs at age 10, and by 17, she and her brother had won a trip around the world from a local radio station to sing for the armed forces.
Veronica was a finalist for the “Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour” after the show held auditions at Barry University where she was enrolled. She went on to study in the Opera and Drama Department at the University of Miami, and sang in popular shows such as “Pops with Paul Whiteman, King of Jazz.”
Peter was born in Germany. He and his family moved to Holland when he was seven, and in the late 1930s he immigrated to New York to work as a commercial artist. He was drafted into the U.S. Army for two years, and became the recipient of a G.I. Bill that allowed him to study music at the Munich Conservatory in Germany. He completed his degree at the Mannes College of Music in Manhattan.
The two started and ran a traveling song and dance duet called “The Veronica and Peter Show” for 25 years, performing “My Fair Lady,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Mary Poppins” and other shows for local charity luncheons as well as for condos and hotels in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood.
Since moving to Vi at Aventura in January 2016, Veronica and Peter have stayed busy. Peter continues to conduct and write music for the Hallandale Symphonic Pops Orchestra and Sugar Pops Orchestra in Coral Springs. You can hear their Father’s Day concert at https://www.facebook.com/veronica.fuchs.775
Free therapy for frontline health workers
In response to the pandemic, South Florida Integrative Medicine is now offering a new, free therapy group for frontline medical workers led by therapist Joshua Joseph, LMHC.
The purpose is to provide a haven for the professionals who treat and care for patients infected with the COVID-19 virus. Participants will process their experiences together and receive support in a safe, confidential environment.
“There have been many times during this time of quarantine when I’ve felt powerless in the face of this pandemic,” Joseph said. “I hope participants in this therapy group will feel strengthened through processing their experiences together and that we will all feel empowered as we continue forward in our lives.”
Doctors, nurses, technicians, emergency responders and hospital administrative staff are invited to contact the South Florida Integrative Medicine office at 786-664-7810 or groups@southfloridaintegrativemed.com to request a screening appointment for participation. Registrants will be required to provide valid employer identification.
“Our practice has the professional expertise and capacity to offer this kind of support, so of course when Josh proposed to run this group we were full steam ahead to get out the word that we are here for others,” said Reed Humphery, director of operations at South Florida Integrative Medicine
New program helps six charities
Rachel Sapoznik, CEO of Sapoznik Insurance, is donating over 500 meals and cleaning supplies through a new initiative called Sapoznik Cares.
Started on Memorial Day and continuing through July 4th weekend, the program gives back to the community and encourages residents to be heroes together.
The woman-owned independent agency, one of South Florida Business Journal’s Top 25 Women-Owned Businesses, selected six charities in need of meals, monetary donations and cleaning supplies.
They include United Way of Broward County, JAFCO, ARC of Broward County, Overtown Youth Center, the Kosher Food Bank, and the Broward Homeless Initiative Partnership. Sapoznik will also work with The Education Fund in a partnership to get supplies directly to needy students and families through the non-profit’s Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials.
“Memorial Day inspired me to think about not only our veterans, but about all of the American heroes among us right now,” Sapoznik said. “We’ve selected a cross-section of charities in our local South Florida community that could use a helping hand during these truly tumultuous times, and it is our honor and privilege to support them.”
ZoolensSM winners announced
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ron Magill from Zoo Miami celebrated Amerant Bank’s Zoolens Photography Project for Miami-Dade middle school students with surprise virtual calls
Founded in 2010 in a partnership with Zoo Miami and the Zoo Miami Foundation, the bank’s contest was created to encourage appreciation for photography and wildlife among middle school students.
The judges included Magill, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Patrick Farrell, acclaimed photo artist María Martínez-Cañas, and New World School of the Arts visual arts professor and curator Rosario Martínez-Cañas.
The winners are: first place, Maria Grant from Southwood Middle School; second place, Rae Myers from Palmetto Middle School; and third place, Julieta Ojeda from Just Arts & Management Middle School.
The 10 honorable mentions are: Katherine Rivas, South Miami K-8 Center; Leandro Ornelas, Southwood Middle School; Claudio Ferrer, Lamar Louise Curry Middle School; Sarah Cohen, Doral Academy Prep; Caleb Jimenez, Bridge Prep Academy of Village Green; Annette Perez, South Miami K-8 Center; Alex Perodin, Southwood Middle School; Kate Perez, Southwood Middle School; Arianna Brueggert, Southwood Middle School; and Emily Castillo, Just Arts & Management Middle School.
The Top Teacher Award went to G. Artamendi from Southwood Middle School. Visit www.Zoolens.com.
If you have news for this column, write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 6:00 AM.