Cool People Do Care – The Next Move

I have been doing a lot of work with not-for-profits in the last few months. Most noticeably with an Orlando start-up, Rock For Hunger. I started as a musician playing their shows over a year ago now and have shifted gears and become the head of their Marketing and Communications as well as the Employment and End Homeless Director.

Through working with Chris at Rock For Hunger, I have started to dream bigger than I ever thought I could. We are now embarking on a new journey; writing a book. We are collecting stories that will paint a picture of the poverty situation in this nation and how Generation-Y, aka the Millennials, can get involved. It gets better with a soundtrack I am producing that will highlight the chapters and bring life to the stories told. To top it off, we plan on taking the show on the road with a book and music tour next fall, going though the South and East coasts playing in coffee shops, book stores, universities, churches and street corners until the words of Rock For Hunger have been thoroughly spread. The goal date: August 2008.

I can’t personally say that I came up with this idea on my own though. The great vision of some stellar Gen-Yers have jumped through this hoop before. I have to take my hat off to the bands that come through Orlando, in their vans eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which ironically enough was the first menu item on Rock For Hunger feedings. Last night saw the Crazy Anglos, an Atlanta based rap-rock band that takes a nomination for hardest working band in the underground. Almost 2 years ago they started hitting the road and have had little more than a week off since. I think that it is finally starting to pay off.

Next up is Drew Petrone. He has been busting his tail at a Sign-A-Rama Start-Up franchise, freelance designing (which needs to be a full time career of his), assisting and volunteering for Rock For Hunger and taking his band, Orlando based Union Made, to the top of the local funk-rock scene. He does all of this with total concern for his clients, colleagues, friends and band mates. Drew has never asked for anything in return.

Last in my list today is the cool kids from the Cool People Care crew. I have been following Sam and Stephen since Sam posted an interview on Rebecca’s Modite blog a few months back. Since then, we have made contact and even featured them as a partner for the Rock For Hunger Festival this past November. These Cool People that care have been passing along a message, that Gen-Y, the entitlement Generation, is ready to help where help is needed. Their mission is simple enough, CoolPeopleCare exists to show you how to change the world in whatever time you have. One minute? Five minutes? An entire day? Whatever you have, we'll help you spend it wisely. Sam and Stephen have come together to write the ever impressive, New Day Revolution, a guide to saving the world in 24 hours. They have taken their passion for the better of the world and made a full time business out of it.

It is the drive of Gen-Yers like this that I come to work everyday inspired. It is why I work the 9-5 hard to get noticed, then go home and put on more hats than the Village People. It is why I have dreams, and why our generation has the hope to do bigger things than any other generation before us. The communication gap is non-existent; you can get in touch with anyone in our generation faster than ever before and more efficiently. Bands can have fans before a record deal and before their busted van stops in front of a whole in the wall bar. And companies can be made with friends who have a passion to make a change in the world. Amen.