It is hard to believe that we haven’t posted anything in almost 6 months!  We have, however,  been super busy with Trust activities and working hard to discover new outlets for our mission of supporting students interested in fimmaking, music and the literary arts in particular.

We are preparing to make our third of three contribtuions to Booker High School’s film and Guitar programs.  We will soon be posting new photos and music performances of the Booker students directly affected (blessed) by the Trust’s donations.  And, we just received the fabulous project results from the 2012 AMOA-Arthouse’s Advanced Young Artists’s program to which the Trust has committed contributions over 5 years.  We will be presenting the finished works any day now. 

Our recent main focus has been the creation of a Safety in Filmmaking program.  It is an arduous process (we are creating an app with the help of very talented people) but we expect its finalization by year’s end.  Then, the really hard work of convincing film programs, students, parents and insurance companies of the necessity (not nicety) of this program.    

We have  narrowed our selection for a “home” for the John H. Lamensdorf Memorial Scholarship (for excellence in production) to two organizations and will make our final selection over the summer.  The first annual scholarship will then be awarded in 2014.  

We are delighted to report that we have sold all but 31 tee shirts!!!!  A friend of John’s is mulling over the idea of creating a limited edition piece of artwork – she is trying to decide exactly what to create as a fundraising activity.  Lori  is an amazingly talented artist so we are very excited about this prospect.

More very soon on other gratifying activities in honor of John.

We recently received a most gracious and lovely thank you from Kayleigh who was awarded the 2012 John H. Lamensdorf Memorial Scholarship at the New York Film Academy.  Here is a smidgen of Kayleigh’s thank you note:

“I cannot express to you how honored I am to be able to accept this grant.  My family and I were in awe of what you are bringing to my life with the NYFA. I have always been an indiividual who is open to exploring many new things, but I’ve come to sort of an agreement with myself that film is my true calling out of my other hobbies and talents.  There is something about the idea of producing such vivid and poetic ideas along with a clear aesthetic that really catches my attention.  To be able to continue my film education at such a terrific place in NYC is one adventure I am both looking forward to and am sure – scratch that – positive – I will never forget.  Aside from the experience itself, I will surely never forget what your family has done for me.

I am deeply saddened  by the story of your son John’s passing.  The thing I found most special about him was the success he found within himself at such young ages.  I am glad to see that he could pursue his aspirations from such early points of his adolescence and truly go for what he wanted in life through the arts.  I really hope I can take some of that positive and ambitious vibe with me to the film academy.  One last time, I want to really thank you with all I can.  I appreciate your family beyond the seas for granting me such a  prestigious opportunity.”

A fantastic feeling to know we may have a hand in changing a young person’s life through John’s legacy.

Just completed our formal thank yous to all of the donors who contributed in honor of John’s recent anniversary.  A hearty and heartfelt thank you to all!  We can just see John, tossing back his hair and saying, “Really?  All those people remembered me???”  Yes, John, they did.

The 2012 John H. Lamensdorf Memorial Scholarships to the New York Film Academy (NYFA) and National Guitar Workshop (NGW) have been awarded!

Kayleigh Myer has been selected for the 2012 NYFA scholarship and will be attending the four week program in NYC.  Kayleigh is a high school student hailing from Mt. Marion, NY and seems to be quite similar to John in her all-consuming interest in film. 

Kerrie Budin is the recipient of the 2012 NGW scholarship.  Kerrie’s application essay easily won us over!  Living in Connecticut, Kerrie will not have to travel far to the NGW’s headquarters in Connecticut.  

Congrats to Kayleigh and Kerrie!  We know they will both have life-changing experiences at their programs – just like John did.

We were once again able to mark John’s anniversary by leaving Sarasota so as to be less distracted in our thoughts and prayers.  We were blessed to have Jennie join us again and to help us reflect on John’s life and legacy. Much time was spent discussing ideas for future contributions and relationships. We make a contribution to a new entity on John’s anniversary and on his birthday (November 17TH) each year.  To mark John’s 3RD anniversary, we will be making our first of five annual donations to Video Renaissance, a unique and extremely well-curated film rental store in Sarasota.  John spent hours perusing (and renting!) their selections throughout his life and so respected and enjoyed the staff.  It is an important part of any serious film lover’s life  in Sarasota.

To mark what would have been John’s 26TH birthday this year, we will make the first of five donations to Film Forum, a NYC independent movie house offering American Independent films and Foreign Art films as well as an impressive array of Classic Films. It is located at 209 West Houston Street and afforded John countless hours of enjoyment during his time in NYC.  Look for John’s name on the back of one of the seats!

John was a huge fan of both of these organizations and we are thrilled to support them in John’s honor.

We were excited to make a 2012 donation to Lunar Energy, a fabulously creative theatre group in NYC.  John very much respected Theo Salter, the executive producer of Lunar Energy, which makes the donations especially satisfying.  The group’s production of Christopher Marlowe’s “chloroform dreams” in August of 2011 met with rave reviews.  They are currently working on an ambitious re-telling of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters.”  To learn more about Lunar Energy, visit their website at lunarenergyproductions.com.

We are set to make a donation to both Video Renaissance and Film Forum – more on these great institutions soon.

Every week, out of the blue, we receive communication from complete strangers.  Their sentiments cause us tears, of course, but also hope.  We wanted to share two recent posts that represent, as Jennie remarked, that  ”There really are decent people out there in the universe…..”

.  I have just finished reading the bio of John H. Lamensdorf, and may I say that it moved me profoundly.  What a fine young man, talented artist, and gifted person he was.  I attended NYU, although not in film, and I know that the lives of many have been made all the more deeply enriched by encounters with John.  I was very touched to view your site, especially the photographs, which so clearly evince John’s love of life and love for others.  I dare not speak of the incredible loss you all must feel.  All it makes me understand is our duty to love life even more, each day, and live part of it for him.  Thank you so much for taking the time and effort, and surely experiencing pain, in order to bring John into the lives of so many strangers like myself, who have been  all the more enriched by this viewing experience.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Sarah

.  I have delayed contacting you for many years so as not to intrude on your grief.  I did not know your son, John, but I have been following his story since May 2009.  Working in film for over 20 years I feel that frankly, it s amazing that there aren’t more devastating  situations on film sets like the one your family has suffered.  I am writing because I thought, in a small way, it might comfort you to know that for 3 years now, I have included John’s story in the safety classes I teach for the professional film technicians in New England.  It breaks my heart to tell you that until the incident in Monticello, My Power Point’s chapter about Minimum Safe Approach Distance only included non-industry specific examples of the dangers of electrocution.  Sadly, now I use the Jay Welin case as a “textbook example” of how hazardous aerial lift shoots can be when safety is not taken seriously.  I plan on putting together a handout sheet that outlines the hazards of aerial lift work but for college-aged technicians and encourages hazard recognition.  If you like, I can share that doc with the JHL Memorial Trust. Phil

(We have received Phil’s handout sheet and will be using his expertise in our quest for creating a comprehensive film safety program).

Thank you Sarah and Phil

The new year finds us very busy with trust activities!  We will be rewarding both Booker High School VPA program and the 48 Hour Guerilla Film Competition with their 2nd of 3 annual contributions this week.  We are most proud of how each of these organizations has used their donations. As spring arrives, we will announce the 2012 recipients of the National Guitar Workshop and New York Film Academy scholarships.

In 2012, our focus will center on the creation of a Safety in Filmmaking program that will be available to all through an interactive web based program.  It is our goal to promote this program to filmmakers and film programs throughout the world.  It is extraordinarily sad how little instruction is available on safety and how casual the attitude toward safety is even at the most prestigious organizations.  In addition, we hope that insurance companies will demand the completion of our program so as to qualify for film set insurance.  A challenging goal but one we know we can accomplish.

This year will also find us awarding the inaugural (and generous) ”John H. Lamensdorf Excellence in Filmmaking Award.”  We have spent much of the last 8 months meeting wth representatives of film programs, universities, film festivals and other related organizations to determine which potential collaboration would best match our intent.  A decision will be made shortly. 

On April 1, 2012 (2nd anniversary of John’s website) we will be sending out a mailing that highlights all the trust has accomplished, lives it has changed and the honor it is bringing to John’s legacy.

We received this wonderful “THANK YOU” message from Connor McVay, the 2011 recipient of the John H. Lamensdorf  NYFA Memorial Scholarship.

My name is Connor McVay and I attended the New York Film Academy 3-week camp at Walt Disney World, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. During the camp I met other talented teens, made lasting friendships, and learned, in depth, about all aspects of film from dedicated teachers and mentors. All of this was made possible by the extremely generous scholarship given to me by the John Lamensdorf Trust.

At the beginning of the camp, I was astonished at the amount I learned in just the first class. It was a directing class, and within the first half hour we were already analyzing and interpreting camera shots used by Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock. By the end of the first day I was inspired by all that I had learned, and excited to spend three more weeks learning more.

I was surprised to find that all of the other students were just as passionate about filmmaking as me. Our desire to learn was matched by the teacher’s ability to teach us invaluable information. The learning environment that was created was excellent to be a part of. I made many friends that I hope I can work with on more films in the future.

The filming locations at Walt Disney World were amazing. I was thrilled to combine the fun of the Disney parks with the pure enjoyment of making movies. The experience was once in a lifetime and I definitely cherish it. I am grateful for the scholarship that the Lamensdorf Trust gave me.

We so gratefully thank all of you who remembered what would have been John’s 25th birthday (November 17, 2011).  The enormous number of calls, emails, cards, texts and donations were astounding.  They are of immeasurable value to our wounded souls.