The Aaron Norris Creative Fund recently completed its second round of grantmaking to arts organizations in Riverside. The grants celebration event included an unveiling of a mural in downtown Riverside honoring Norris, who died in 2022 after battling Stage 4 Intimal Sarcoma.
“We were able to fund the mural and bring in local artist Mano Mirande,” said Joey Romero, who oversees the fund, which Norris established before his death, and which is aided by efforts of Inland Empire Community Foundation.
The mural’s theme is “Time, Talent, Treasure.”
“Before Aaron passed, he had a TED Talk that touched on many interesting things,” Romero said, “but he spoke about collecting and cherishing your champions, and to be generous with your time, talent, and your treasure.”
To that end, the left-hand side of the new mural features clocks. A portrait of Norris is featured in the middle, representing the “talent” portion of this creative theme. Other aspects of the mural include several Riverside “treasures,” such as iconic buildings in the region.
“The mural will draw attention,” Romero said. “We hope that when people look at it, they would think, ‘Wow, that’s really colorful. That’s a really great piece of art, and oh, and who’s that guy?’”
In just two years of actively granting awards, the Aaron Norris Creative Fund has awarded $53,500 to support the arts locally. This year’s grantees are a diverse mix of organizations, including Riverside Arts Academy, which received $9,600.
Riverside Children’s Theatre was given $5,000. Riverside Ballet Folklorico garnered $2,500 while Rockstars of Tomorrow and Empower Edutainment each received $1,500. 
“The arts helped Aaron find his voice and find the courage to come out when he did,” Romero said. “He flourished in the arts and performing, and specifically with the Riverside Children’s Theatre, and the group of friends that allowed him to be his true self.
“His hope was that the arts could do that for other people, not only just kids,” Romero added. “That’s why he created the fund. And it’s already being felt. In our first year, we funded 12 scholarships to the Riverside Arts Academy.”
This year, the fund distributed another eight scholarships to several school districts in the region, paving the way for students to attend Riverside Arts Academy free of charge.
“This allows kids to learn music, how to play instruments, learn acting and to be able to participate,” Romero said. “They can learn with confidence and just be able to appreciate the arts. Maybe they wouldn’t have done so had this fund not been available.”
Elsewhere, the fund also created opportunities for six children in the area to learn Ballet Folklorico at Riverside Ballet Folklorico.
Meanwhile Rockstars of Tomorrow, which offers top-tier music lessons, recording, artist development, and live performance education, was also positively impacted by the fund.
“We inspired them to create a 501(c)3, and they’ll create a scholarship fund and match our gift,” Romero said. “That way, they can go ahead and just start buying instruments. They can put little rock groups together and teach kids songs. Then, instead of just keeping them in the classroom, they actually go and get gigs for the kids in the community.” 
To be sure, the ripple effects of the fund are already being felt. Romero says that because the recent mural event was so well received, he was able to create an advisory board, which meets monthly, and includes a mix of people who volunteered in the past or grew up with Norris.
In addition to Romero, the board includes Brent Lee, Eileen Hards, Khevin Curry, Eugene Kim, James Persinger, Shayna Golbaf, and Kyley Demshki.
For Romero, it’s another win for the fund, which is creating a sea change in the region.
“Our mural even was bigger than others,” Romero said. “And it was at a great facility—the Riverside County Office of Education—so we could have a stage, better sound, and food. More than 150 people showed up.”
The mural is located at University Avenue and Lemon Street across from the Division 9 Gallery.
Learn more about the Aaron Norris Creative Fund at iegives.org/funds/aaron-norris-creative-fund/.
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, July 2025.
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