Filmmaker starts program for at-risk girls

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Filmmaker Tara Veneruso could have held her camp for girls near her Los Angeles home.

But she picked St. Joseph and the Kansas City area instead.

"I thought, 'What a joy it would be to bring this program to the middle of America.' And if you look on a map, this really is the middle of America," Veneruso said Tuesday, standing on a stage inside Potter Hall on the Missouri Western State University campus.

Veneruso is the mastermind behind "Risk: At-Risk Girls Behind the Camera," a filmmaking day camp for girls ages 10 to 14.

During the next month, about a dozen local girls will learn about the film industry -- and maybe gain confidence along the way -- on the Western campus. The program also is being held at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Avila University in Kansas City.

Veneruso's motivation for the program stems from her own childhood.

She was an at-risk youth, she said. Drugs, violence and bad choices surrounded her. Then a teacher gave her a video camera and put her in charge of a school documentary. The teacher and camera changed her life, she said.

Now, she's giving back to what she calls "the spark" that saved her life.

While speaking to the girls Tuesday, Veneruso said that she wished she could have done something similar to the camp when she was a girl. But her mother worked from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and she had to stay home while her mom was away.

"Much of the program is based on what I wished I could do when I was 12," she told the girls.

Several local resources, including social workers and word of mouth, helped recruit girls for the program. The goal was to make the group reflective of the St. Joseph population. The group represents a mix of family incomes, races and other factors.

The project is supported by many organizations, including Flaming Angel Films, which Veneruso founded, along with Red Echo Group in Kansas City and Western in St. Joseph. Between Kansas City and St. Joseph, 89 adults are helping, including those in the Hollywood film business.

Veneruso's company is filming the camp for a documentary. The documentary also will follow Veneruso on her journey to reunite with that teacher who first put a camera in her hands.

Veneruso's accomplishments include editing and other work for Animal Planet/Discovery Channel, music videos shown on MTV and New Line Cinema's "The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers" DVD.

She was first drawn to St. Joseph because she knew parts of "Paper Moon" were shot here, and she said she fell in love with the city and its people when she was a guest at the Griffon International Film Festival a couple of years back.

This summer's camp will conclude with a mini "Oscars" -- a screening of the girls' projects.

At least two of the girls are excited about the star treatment.

Kate Jameson, who will begin seventh grade in the Mid-Buchanan School District next year, said she can't wait for what's to come. She joined the program after her family heard about it on the news.

"I love to read and write, and I love playing with cameras and computers," Jameson said.

Her friend, Kamela Becker, who also is heading to seventh grade at Mid-Buchanan, chimed in, "I loooove acting."