History
“Grief can be a powerful tool for growth, as Veronica Robles demonstrates. The mariachi singer channeled the loss of her daughter into the creation of a cultural center that fortifies Boston’s immigrant community”. The Christian Science Monitor
Why VROCC is important?
In the year 2013, to cope with the immense pain and sadness that haunted her everyday due to the passing of her only daughter, Veronica Robles and her husband Willy Lopez decided to establish the Veronica Robles Cultural Center (VROCC), a non-profit organization located in the heart of East Boston. At its core, the center teaches the values of love and respect through folkloric dance, music and arts.
Kithzia Lopez Robles was a beautiful young lady, a skilled dancer, and cheerleader who loved her culture. Through her parents’ community work, she learned to love and celebrate her own culture and the cultures of others in her community.
Kithzia Lopez Robles passed away in 2008
About the founders
Veronica is a Mariachi singer and musician by trade, Folkloric dancer and choreographer and has a professional background in marketing and productions. She has effectively utilized the power of arts and culture to bring the communities together and raise awareness of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. With love, passion and impact, Veronica “La Mera Mera” has become a cultural icon in Boston. As a woman of courage and principles and a cancer survivor, she lives her life to the fullest, filled with joy, passion, and love. Her work honors the memory of her only daughter Kithizia.
Willy Lopez is a singer-songwriter, a music and video producer and a sound engineer. He learned to play guitar when he was 6 years old, using a rustic guitar made by his father, Don Guillermo,. Willy was born in a small valley next to a river called “Quebrada Curaca” in the Peruvian Amazon. However, his parents Don Guillermo y Doña Paula decided to move to Iquitos, a big city, so their children could go to school. Once there, the family found many challenges.
At a very early age Willy had to emigrate to Lima and later on to Ecuador and New York to pursue his dream of becoming a singer. Willy established himself in the big Apple and became a prestigious sound engineer. After a few years working for the Company “Latin Sound”, he decided to open his own recording studio “La Guardia Recording Studios” in Queens. Willy became the favorite engineer and producer of many Latino recording celebrities between 1969 and 1995.