Acts of Kindness

When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on January 12, people across the world were asking themselves how they could help. Baltimore resident and business owner Paul Wolman, wasn't only asking himself what he could do, he was also being asked by trustees of the Aber D. Unger Foundation, for which Wolman is a board member, what the organization could do. "I think it was two days after the earthquake when one of the trustees sent an email saying, 'What should we do? We should do something significant, the needs are extraordinary, and it's clear that what is needed now is money."

The organization decided to donate $50,000 toward the cause, but they didn't want to simply write a check. "We slept on it for a night and then said we need to figure out a way to use these dollars to mobilize additional folks because this is a relatively small amount. How can we make it more?" So just three days after the quake, on Friday afternoon, Wolman sent out an email to select people in his business network asking them to join him for a meeting on Saturday morning to see how a group of Baltimore business leaders could make a difference.

Thinking fast

That group of eight sat down Saturday morning and came up with an idea that would not only leverage the $50,000 from the Unger Foundation to provide relief to Haiti, but also create a way to call Baltimoreans to action whenever there's a need, great or small, local or abroad. "That morning we came up with the name BaltimoreACTS for this campaign that would be a conduit for bringing a hugely diverse group of people together to address a variety of issues, the first of which would be the situation in Haiti," says Wolman. "We all know that when people gather for a common purpose amazing things happen."

For Act One, as the group called its mission to provide relief for Haiti, the eight knew they needed to move quickly while the issue was still at the forefront of people's minds. "We met on Saturday, again on Sunday, and again on Monday," says Kelly Hodge-Williams, executive director of Business Volunteers Unlimited. "In that time, we started a Twitter address and got the Internet community mobilized," says Wolman. "We put out a request for people interested in helping with a website and we got 12 responses within 12 hours."

The group also kicked around the idea of having a benefit concert for Haiti to help raise money and awareness for the cause. "Everyone in the group likes music and has connections to different performance artists," says Hodge-Williams. So they decided to go for it in a big way � pulling together a variety of performers and holding the concert just one month after the earthquake.

"The focus quickly became identifying and securing a venue for the event, trying to get together multiple acts and performers and speakers that are going to be a part of a two-hour show, and trying to put all that together with the venue. The technical aspects, logistical, lighting, and just trying to put together a show with 10 to 12 performers had to be done with about 10 days notice," says Bill Romani, president of MammoJam Music Festival.

Beat the clock

The group has been thrust into a flurry of activity ever since, emailing, meeting, and calling each other at all hours. "Things have been moving so quickly around the clock. Paul and I have been on the phone until probably one in the morning. Email is a different story," says Robin Yasinow, president of Perspective Public Relations.

"Everyone involved has full-time jobs. These are not people who were sitting around waiting for the phone to ring," adds Wolman. "People are working nights and weekends and there are very few days that have gone by without a meeting. It's moving at lightning speed."

On February 2, exactly three weeks after the quake, the group announced the details of the benefit concert. Haitian-born, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Melky Jean, and music producer Farel Jean, both siblings of Wyclef Jean, would host "Rock to Rebuild" that would've been held on February 11 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. But, then Baltimore was hit with its own disaster gratis of Mother Nature � some 40 inches of snow in the back to back blizzards of February 2010.

The original concert would have included performances by Grammy-nominated R&B vocalist Mario, pop-rock artist Ryan Cabrera, acoustic guitarist and singer Adam Day, R&B vocalist Mya, TLC member T-Boz, the Morgan State Choir, and Baltimore's international Afro-Jazz ensemble, The ARKJammers. Multi-platinum producer Darryl Pearson, whose credits include projects with Madonna and Justin Timberlake, will be the concert's music director.

The plan was also to include a tribute to local organizations aiding in Haiti's recovery, including the U.S. Navy's Comfort hospital ship, University of Maryland Shock Trauma, and the Johns Hopkins institutions. Event proceeds will benefit Partners in Health, Architecture for Humanity, Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services, and Melky Jean's Carma Foundation, all of which are working on the ground in Haiti and are committed to the country's long-term well-being.

The postponement has left the organization busily trying to organize the concert anew. Although BaltimoreActs has not announced a new lineup of performers or a new  date for the concert, the Aber D. Unger Foundation still plans to use its pledge of $50,000 to match every dollar BaltimoreACTS raises for Haiti up to $50,000

Coming attractions

Though the group, which has now grown to more than 70 individuals, is still focusing much of its energy on "Rock to Rebuild" and raising funds for Haiti, they are also starting to look to the future at what the second, third, and fourth acts, will be for them. "All the momentum that we're creating and all the people involved will be used as a resource after this event," says Romani. "We have a tremendous opportunity to build something for the future.

Hodge-Williams says although they haven't identified a specific cause for their next act of kindness, they have considered several local issues like homelessness, education, and at-risk youth. The group hopes to bring the same zeal and focus to these issues impacting Baltimore, while also being able to respond in the event another major disaster happens somewhere in the world.

Being surrounded by others who are willing to give of themselves for the good of others has been a very special experience, says Wolman, one that has reminded him of his childhood dream. "My mom was a social worker so I always thought that when I grew up I had to change the world," he says. "Whatever we can do for Haiti, for Baltimore, now and as we move forward, let's do it and inspire other people as we do it. It's a gift to help people see how they can do more."


A graduate of both Towson University and University of Baltimore, Nicole Jovel lived in the Baltimore area for nine years. She writes for both corporate clients and local and regional publications.

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Captions:

1. Paul Wolman talks during a planning meeting for BaltimoreActs

2. Baltimore Acts promotional buttons

3. Paul Wolman, Sarah Winkler, Bill Romani, and Juan Carlos Zapata during a BaltimoreActs meeting

4. Sandy Pagnotti works on her computer during a planning meeting with BaltimoreActs

5. Bill Romani writes out a list of artists performing at a BaltimoreActs event to raise money for the aid in Haiti

6. Paul Wolman and volunteers with BaltimoreActs

7. Paul Wolman, Caitlin Cook, Sandy Pagnotti, Christine Welch, Dahlia Snyder, Bill Romani, and Sarah Winkler.

Photos by Arianne Teeple