Small Deeds in New Hampshire Supporting a Haitian Community

We’ve all heard the stories, watched the news, and seen the destruction. First an earth shattering quake wreaked havoc on Haiti, then Chile, and now China. Mother Nature coupled with a struggling economy leaves many to wonder how any one person or small act can possibly make a difference in a world of such great turmoil. To see just how powerful small acts and ordinary people can be, consider the story of Romel Joseph and a couple people in New Hampshire looking to make a difference.

Three months ago when a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti one of the many stories that flooded the media involved a renowned violinist and classical music teacher known as Romel Joseph. He is a blind father and husband who was buried alive in his own school for 18 hours. When pulled from the rubble his legs had been crushed, his arm and hand shattered, and his pregnant wife was missing. Shockingly enough, though Romel was facing these trials his focus remained on getting the children back in school! He was determined to rebuild The New Victorian School. The story was so profound and far reaching it moved R&B legend Stevie Wonder to donate two keyboards to Romel with a hint that they would meet some time in the future.

We’re all moved when we hear stories like these, but how do ordinary people make a difference, people who don’t have money to give or gifts to send, people like you and I who are working hard in a difficult economy just to put food on the table, to pay a mortgage, to raise a family, or even to find a job. If you don’t have money or a whole lot of time and energy to give, what do you have?

When Frederick Moyer, a concert pianist who resides in a small town of New Hampshire and happens to be friends with Romel Joseph heard of the news, he knew he needed to do something. Frederick decided to make use of his connections and influence with fellow musicians throughout the U.S. He began organizing an online nationwide campaign with the goal of convincing his fellow musicians not only to open their hearts but to open their wallets. This meant providing convincing evidence that The New Victorian School was worth rebuilding and that financial donations would be put to good use. Leading people to Romel’s website would be the primary tool in accomplishing this task. People needed to see the school, meet the teachers, read the mission statement, and see its affect on the Haitian community. Unfortunately Romel’s website desperately needed a complete overhaul and quite obviously, without the need for explanation, there was no money for website reconstruction. This is when Frederick Moyer reached out to Ace Your Image, another small New Hampshire business who happens to be responsible for both of Fred’s websites. Frederick shared the story and asked if they could assist in anyway. Ace Your Image was not only able and willing to assist; they were eager to help out and grateful to possess the resources to do so. Ace Your Image completely redesigned the look and layout of The New Victorian School website and is set to redesign WalensteinMusic.org, the schools sister organization, in the fall of this year.

Although Frederick Moyer and Nikol Deyab didn’t have what felt like a lot to give, they possessed the power to make a difference by giving something unique. It involved the donating of a skill; it involved making good use of connections with a world of people who just might have the money to give. When today’s world events make you feel powerless, take a step back for a moment and recognize each one of us possesses a unique and powerful tool, that when put to good use, can effect a community as near as our own neighborhood or as far away as Haiti, Chile, or China.