Despite all the hardships of 2020, one local man was able to put a positive spin on things—literally.

Before COVID-19, Chris Kopec was a popular DJ at corporate events and parties (including our own “Best of Baltimore” party) throughout the region, as well as the man behind the music for the Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders. But by mid-March, with concerts canceled across the country, the Ellicott City resident turned to the internet to host dance nights for his inner circle.

“My idea was that I’d entertain my family, because my kids never got to come to my events,” he says.

But his children weren’t the only ones who tuned in, with his first Facebook livestream reaching over 30,000 views, an experience he calls “euphoric,” as his three children showed off their own moves in the background of their basement. From there, the dance parties would become a weekly ritual, along with live workout mixes and a virtual prom for participants of all ages, which was particularly special for high school students who missed that iconic rite of passage last year.

“It felt like the community needed it, and in some ways, it was my coping mechanism, and my family’s,” says Kopec. “It gave us something to work for and look forward to.”

That first night, he also set up a virtual tip jar to cover his $200 equipment costs, but brought in over $10,000, and from there, his charitable efforts took off. Donations so far have included 500 pizzas to Howard County first responders, and some 180,000 pounds of chicken to local food banks, after Holly Poultry CEO Zachary Fine offered to chip in a pound of meat per viewer.

The parties have also helped raise funds for organizations hit hard by the pandemic, including more than $192,000 for Feed America, nearly $65,000 for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, and $132,000 for the Ulman Foundation. And this goodwill did not go unnoticed, catching the attention of local and national media, including CNN and the TODAY show.

He reached his $2 million milestone on March 20, the one-year anniversary of his first livestream. Again, thousands of fans, now dubbed the “DJ Kopec Fam,” showed up online, but he looks forward to the day that they can gather in-person.

“The power of community coming together and staying positive can really do amazing things,” Kopec says.

The holiday season is one of giving, and with it comes opportunities to pay it forward. From donating time and supplies to partying for a good cause, here are a few ways to be charitable in Charm City over the next week.

CHARITY GIFT WRAPPING

Dec. 23-24: We’ve all been there—after some last-minute shopping, there’s always one gift that needs wrapped in the eleventh hour. Instead of doing it yourself, why not give back in the process? That’s the idea at Boscov’s in White Marsh. Bring whatever last minute gifts you need wrapped, and in exchange for a small donation, a nonprofit on hand will provide its gift wrapping services. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Friends for Life Cat Shelter, a Frederick organization that rescues cats and kittens and helps them find a home, will be on hand taking donations and wrapping gifts. Previous charity beneficiaries over the past week were Bel Air Woman’s Club, People Encouraging People, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. The last day of the event is Tuesday, where in the morning from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Maranthana Truth Center will be wrapping gifts until Veterans of Foreign Wars takes over in the afternoon from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Boscov’s, 8200 Perry Hall Blvd

HOLIDAY DELIVERIES

Dec. 24: Giving Back Linda’s Legacy, based in Annapolis, is an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to helping the homeless, and this holiday season, they are doing just that. On the morning of Christmas Eve, volunteers will meet at the Harry S. Truman Park n’ Ride to assist in delivering donated items. From there, volunteers will be given two different destination points and follow a U-Haul to designated shelters—where they will share cookies and scarves, and partake in caroling.

And in the afternoon into the night, Linda’s Legacy and its volunteers are taking to the streets to deliver backpacks and food to the homeless. Signup for either event is not required—volunteers just need to show up willing to help. Anne Arundel Co. Farmers Market, 275 Harry S Truman Pkwy.

MITZVAH DAY

Dec. 24-25: For those who don’t celebrate Christmas, Jewish Volunteer Connection’s Mitzvah Day, open to all ages on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, is a great way to give back. The Weinberg Park Heights and Rosenbloom Owings Mills Jewish Community Centers are the epicenters of this initiative, where volunteers assemble more than 2,000 winter care packages and participate in other hands-on projects like making sandwiches and fleece blankets. There are also a lot of other volunteer opportunities to choose from over the next few days. Weinberg Park Heights: 5700 Park Heights Ave; Rosenbloom Owings Mills: 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave.

GIVE BACK KICKBACK

Dec. 27: Head to The Creative Labs for a post-Christmas holiday party in which admission is only $5 with a coat donation. The party was established as a way to help families and their children stay warm in the wintertime. Enjoy a soundtrack spun by DJ Sole and DJ Lidyaxxo as well as performances by local artists including Alikah Devine and MusicRayy. There will also be food, an Afrobreat dance contest, games, and prizes. The party lasts well into the night, so you’ll have plenty of time to give back and kick back. The Creative Labs, 1786 B Union Ave. $5-10.

MARYLAND SPCA BAKE SALE

Dec. 27-28: Most Baltimoreans are familiar with the holiday spirit that reverberates through 34th Street in Hampden. The SPCA wants to add to this tradition. On December 28, the organization that works to find animals a home will hold a bake sale on 34th Street. They are asking for donations from those who would like to submit a tasty treat to be included in the event, in which proceeds will help the shelter fund its mission. You can make a baked good for humans or dogs. Fill out this form and drop your donation at the volunteer office on December 27 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. or December 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The SPCA asks that an index card with ingredients be included, as well. And if you’re interested in getting involved on a more permanent basis with the SPCA, there is a volunteer orientation session December 28. Drop off items at 3300 Falls Rd.

Volunteering Untapped Fake Wedding
Feb. 23. The Baltimore Museum of Industry. 7 p.m. Prices Vary. On a Saturday night last February, John Magiros jumped in front of a crowd of dressed-to-the-nines party-goers at the Baltimore Museum of Industry and called out, “Who’s single and wants to get married tonight?” Magiros then ushered two volunteers forward, gave the “groom” a top hat and the “bride” a veil, and “married” them using Mad Lib-style wedding vows in front of hundreds of strangers. And while the wedding was fake, the mission of the party—to support the local nonprofit network Volunteering Untapped—was very real. At this year’s Black Tie Baltimore Fake Wedding on February 23, the VU leadership team including Jeremy Raichle, Teddy Davidson, Brittany Fowler, and Magiros, will cut out the obligations of attending a wedding—no presents or plus-ones required—while keeping the drinks flowing all night. “It’s all the fun of a wedding with none of the commitment,” says Magiros. “What more could you ask for?”

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Grateful Dead Tribute for Kids
Feb. 2. 800 Key Hwy. 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Free-$50. Deadheads, rejoice! If you’ve been looking for a way to introduce your kids to the mother of all jam bands, you’re in luck: the American Visionary Art Museum and local radio station WTMD are hosting a Saturday morning celebration of all things Grateful Dead. Local cover act Ed Hough’s Dead Collective will perform kid-oriented favorites in the museum’s banquet hall, with plenty of snacks, drinks, and art to go around.

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Jim Gaffigan
Feb. 7-8. 140 W. Mt Royal Ave. 7 p.m. $35.25-204. Whether it’s in his scene-stealing TV roles, his bestselling books, or his four Grammy-nominated comedy albums, Jim Gaffigan always manages to earn a laugh. The family-friendly comic, who launched his Quality Time tour in January, is known for finding humor in the mundane, such as doctor visits, food, and fatherhood. Get your tickets quickly—his show is almost guaranteed to sell out.

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Lunar New Year Celebration
Feb. 10. 600 N. Charles St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Across Asian cultures, the lunar new year marks the beginning of a new calendar year. To ring in the Year of the Pig, the Walters Art Museum is throwing a free, family-oriented celebration in their sprawling Mt. Vernon complex. Visitors of all ages can explore the museum’s expansive and much-lauded Arts of Asia exhibition, followed by a chance to create their own Asian-inspired works. Make sure to catch the traditional lion dance performance, which is believed to bring good luck in the new year.

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Creature Feature
Feb. 12. The Senator Theatre, 5904 York Rd. 7 p.m. $15-$23. Whether you love them, hate them, or are allergic to them, there’s no denying that animals have a special connection with humans. This month, the Stoop Storytelling Series invites locals to get onstage at the Senator Theatre to share the good, bad, or the ugly about their relationships with four-legged friends (or foes). Get to the theater early to grab a pre-show cocktail and hear live music by (appropriately) Brooks Long and the Mad Dog No Good.

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A Date With John Waters
Feb. 14. 124 Market Place. 8 p.m. $44-110. Perhaps no one embodies the spirit of Charm City more than hometown auteur John Waters. Fresh off of a retrospective at The Baltimore Museum of Art, the beloved director of films such as Pink Flamingos and Hairspray is making Valentine’s Day a little weirder with a monologue about his artistic influences, good taste, and sexual politics. To make date night unforgettable, filth followers can even spring for a meet and greet with the Pope of Trash himself after the show.

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Max’s Belgian Beer Fest
Feb. 15-17. 737 South Broadway. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Free. According to Lyft, Max’s Taphouse was the most visited bar in Baltimore during 2018, and for a good reason. During this annual beer fest, belly up to the bar and sample a selection of rare European pours that will join the pub’s usual 200-plus bottles and taps for the entire weekend. If you have one dubbel or tripel too many, no worries, the Fells Point favorite will be serving up Belgian-inspired snacks to soak up the suds.

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Charm City Django Jazz Fest
Feb. 22-23. 3134 Eastern Ave. 8 p.m. $25-28. In celebration of this finger-plucking music genre pioneered by Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, gypsy jazz musicians from near and far will take over Creative Alliance for two days of blazing guitar runs and jazz heat during this fourth annual jam fest. Revel in the chance to hear the likes of Ellicott City-based wunderkind Samuel Farthing, local jazz group Ultrafaux, and Philly-based accordionist Dallas Vietty and his group Passarinho. creativealliance.org.

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Frozen Harbor Music Festival
Feb. 22-23. Inner Harbor, 34 Market Pl. Prices vary. While most music festivals wait until the warm weather months to host big-name acts and sold-out crowds, the Frozen Harbor Music Festival embraces the cold and parties on anyway. This year, spend the weekend show-hopping to Inner Harbor venues (think Baltimore Soundstage, Rams Head Live!, and Leinenkugel’s Beer Garden) to hear 160 regional and national acts jam out across 10 stages.

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American Craft Show
Feb. 22-24. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W Pratt St. $5-$50. Times vary. Whether you’re visiting this revered makers festival for an hour or for the entire weekend, the American Craft Show is guaranteed to have something for everyone. The three-day downtown event, which features work by artisans from near and far, hosts wares such as jewelry, ceramics, and furniture at every price point. Be sure to stop by one-of-a-kind booths like Tristan Sopp’s, where you can buy DIY folded-paper animals, and Marc Tickle’s, which features handmade kaleidoscopes.

Siblings Maggie and Matthew Schneider have packed quite a lot into their young lives so far. At ages 8 and 7, respectively, the two have already studied music at the Peabody Institute, been classically trained on the violin with a professor at the Manhattan School of Music, and have been spearheading an annual benefit concert.

Their efforts continue this Saturday, May 26, at the Baltimore Museum of Art where the two will perform on their quarter-size violins along with a group of Juilliard-trained musicians, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

“Even when they were just infants, you could see their eyes twinkled when they heard music,” says their mom Dr. Hyon Schneider. “Thanks to ear training at Peabody, it didn’t take long to found out that my kids had perfect pitch.”

Maggie and Matthew began studying the early childhood music program at Peabody Institute at just 18 months old. They then progressed to a local Baltimore violin studio and both picked up the instruments for the first time at 3 years old. A few years later, they were making weekly trips up to New York City to study under Byung K. Kwak at the Manhattan School of Music. 

“When we first moved to Maryland, I told my husband it was important to be an easy driving distance to New York,” says Schneider, a product of Juilliard pre-college herself. “It’s been great to see them also have such a knack for music. A four-hour lesson doesn’t make them tired—it makes them inspired.”

What’s more, the idea of a philanthropic concert came from the young students, who attend Bryn Mawr and Gilman schools. Inspired by projects like Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the siblings knew that they wanted to use their talents for good. A cause found them when their uncle passed away from leukemia and they realized they wanted to give back on a local level to the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

“It struck them hard to see their family going through loss,” Schneider says. “We did some local hospital visits and saw the great work Johns Hopkins is doing for leukemia. My kids loved the facilities but asked what might make the patients more comfortable. They want to donate money for games and books.”

The program for Saturday’s benefit concert, which begins at 5 p.m., reads more like the repertoire of a major symphony orchestra. Maggie and Matthew—alongside the Juilliard-trained Kwak, Andy Lin, and Nan-Chang Chen—will be performing concertos by Mozart, Bach, and Vivaldi. Quite a feat for the young siblings who haven’t reached middle school yet.

“I’m most proud that their focus isn’t on advertising their talents,” Schneider says. “They are looking to provide for their community and encourage others in their generation to follow suit.”

As the Caribbean and Florida brace for the impact of Hurricane Irma, residents in Houston are still dealing with the dire consequences of Harvey, which touched down nearly two weeks ago. While households, schools, and animal shelters are all in need of supplies, the owners of Houstonia magazine (our Texan counterpart) have been devising ways to help.

“I’ve spent the last several days feeling helpless and continually weepy, not something I’m accustomed to, as I watch my friends and family members navigate this devastating event,” wrote Nicole Vogel, president and co-founder of Houstonia’s publisher SagaCity Media in an email. “We think we are in a unique position to offer perspective and assistance.”

Besides continuing to report on stories of heroism and tragedy while its reporters themselves are in peril, the magazine has launched a website called Houstonia Helps to continually assess the needs of the city, research what local relief organizations and shelters require, and collect donations to support the cause.

Currently, the website is benefitting a half-dozen local organizations including The Foundry Church, PetSet Houston, and Impact Church of Christ. They are accepting everything from diapers and baby formula to toilet paper and bug spray. Of course, during the beginning of the school year, backpacks, school supplies, and new uniforms are also in high demand.

As Vogel describes the Houston community, the similarities to Baltimore are undeniable.

“It’s a city that has the spirit of a small town,” she wrote. “I have been equal parts frustrated and awed by the sheer inability to get out of Houston coffee shop in under 20 minutes. Clerks, people in line, people holding doors, not only greet you . . . but follow up with questions, comments, niceties about your kids, etc. It appears that this was always a sincere reflection of caring that is deeply rooted in Houston.”

Baltimore staff members saw this welcoming spirit first-hand when we attended the annual City Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) conference in Houston last May, spending time in the Houstonia offices—which thankfully suffered no damage—and the city at large.

This is why we jumped at the chance to help. In our upcoming November issue, you’ll find a 32-page insert that will include content about heroic acts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, as well as information about local nonprofits to which you can donate.

“There have been so many acts of heroism that it’s difficult to even get our heads wrapped around them,” Vogel wrote. “The package will be diverse and inspiring, but also attempt to put the disaster into some perspective for readers.”

In the meantime, you can donate to Houstonia Helps for a chance to donate items that will be collected in the Houstonia offices and be given to area shelters and organizations in need.

On a chilly Saturday afternoon, hundreds of 20- and 30-somethings are taking a load off with pints of beer and slices of pizza at Peabody Heights Brewery near Waverly. Holiday-sweatered and rosy-cheeked, they all carry a glow about them, which makes sense, since they just finished a morning of do-gooding at The Salvation Army as part of Volunteering Untapped (VU).

“It’s a pretty fantastic concept,” says volunteer Matthew Riggin. “You get to connect with a new nonprofit every month, help out the city, and meet a ton of great folks. Not to mention the beer is pretty good.”

Whether its members are planting trees and rain gardens, cleaning up parks and playgrounds, or playing with city youth, VU is a volunteer-based nonprofit that hosts monthly events across the city. But unlike other programs, the key to VU’s success is that it mixes the civic with the social by hosting after-parties at local bars and breweries.

“We’re trying to create an opportunity for people to connect not just with local nonprofits but like-minded peers,” says board chair Teddy Davidson. “It’s a great opportunity for them to talk and network, while doing good for Baltimore.” Adds Seth Franz, founder and executive director. “We want to change the way young people think about volunteering. We want to be a launch pad for lifelong civic engagement.”

In three years, VU has drawn thousands of volunteers to dozens of organizations like the Baltimore Community ToolBank, Blue Water Baltimore, Habitat for Humanity, and Moveable Feast. To date, they have planted 500 trees, removed more than 50,000 pounds of trash, and dedicated 10,000-plus hours of community service in Baltimore. Their free events sell out in minutes, and not just because of the booze.

“I met some of my best friends here,” says volunteer Alexis Blair. “It’s easy to make strong relationships. That’s what keeps people coming back.”

Don’t miss VU’s anniversary event at Columbus Center on February 11 with Rep. Elijah Cummings.

Gather Baltimore

What they do: Collect unsold food from farmers’ markets, farms, and other sources for redistribution to local meal programs, faith communities, and others in need.

How to help: Volunteers always needed to help “glean” (aka collect) foodstuffs; donate to its Give Corps campaign to purchase freezers and refrigerators for its Remington warehouse, which will help increase capacity.

Contact: Visit in person at the JFX farmers’ market and Oliver Farm Stand (1400 N. Bond St.) every Sunday; gatherbaltimore.org.

Health Care for the Homeless

What they do: Provide health-related services, education, and advocacy to reduce the incidence and burdens of homelessness.

How to help: Donate online or by mail at Health Care for the Homeless, 421 Fallsway, Baltimore, MD, 21202; attend its annual fundraiser The HCH Chocolate Affair on February 15, 2014.

Contact: hchmd.org.

Maryland Food Bank

What they do: With three locations statewide, the Maryland Food Bank coordinates the procurement and distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the state’s hungry.

How to help: Donate money via website; virtual food drive via website allows donors to purchase in bulk the most-needed items; bring canned donations to Ravens Food & Funds Drive at M&T Bank Stadium on November 24; bring canned donations to or make a monetary donation at the register at participating Giant food stores through November; throughout November and December at participating Safeway locations buy pre-packaged bags of food to be delivered to those in need; donate food in person Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at 2200 Halethorpe Farms Road, Baltimore, MD 21227; warehouse volunteers always needed to help sort and pack donations in 3-hour shifts Mon.-Sat. and Wed. evenings.

Contact: 410-737-8282 or mdfoodbank.org.

Jobs Housing Recovery

What they do: This all-male nonprofit offers a continuum of care that encompasses food and shelter, skills and job training, and substance-abuse treatment and counseling.

How to help: Always in need of warm clothing, including hats, scarves, men’s boots, coats, and jackets; volunteers needed to help with daily food service, holiday decorating, and activities; donations accepted through Paypal at jhrbaltimore.org.

Contact: 410-522-2232

Fuel Fund of Maryland

What they do: Provide resources to vulnerable Maryland families for heat and home utility needs.

How to help: Monetary donations can be submitted online through its website, via your monthly BGE bill, or via check at Fuel Fund of Maryland Inc.,
P.O. Box 62266, Baltimore, MD, 21264-2266. Also accepts gifts of stock.

Contact: 410-235-9080, fuelfundmaryland.org

Marian House

What they do: Waverly-based nonprofit offers high-quality rehabilitative services and housing to homeless women and their children.

How to help: Donations accepted through marianhouse.org or in person at 949 Gorsuch Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21218

Contact: Offers tours of the facility the first Friday of every month; for more information, call 410-467-4246 and ask to speak with advancement assistant Tamar Klein.

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Overwhelmed and need help deciding where to begin? Do a search onvolunteermatch.org. Enter your preferences (location, subject matter, age, etc.) into the website and receive a list of area organizations looking for volunteers just like you!

There are many good and noble causes out there. But beware, all nonprofits aren’t created equal. To help you decide where to put your time, money, and effort, use Charity Navigator, an independent American nonprofit corporation that evaluates charities in the United States based on financial health, transparency, and accountability.charitynavigator.org.

Giving Tuesday is a new national campaign to promote charitable activities at the start of the holiday season. It’s designated for the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday—this year, December 3. More information atgivingtuesday.org.

By Jess Blumberg, Ken Iglehart, Rebecca Kirkman, Christianna McCausland, and Christine Stutz with additional writing by Ron Cassie. Photography by Christopher Myers.

Timothy Barnhill, 39

architect

There was a clue to Timothy Barnhill’s fate as a boy: “For me, it was all about Legos,” he says. “I was constantly building things.” Now, when you scan Baltimore’s architectural landscape, the Hord Coplan Macht principal’s work is everywhere: His biggest clients are hospitals and retirement homes, but he’s designed scads of offices and a few restaurants, too (like the Ravens executive offices and Rusty Scupper). So when the Homeland father of two drives his kids (ages 7 and 9) around town, can they recognize dad’s projects? “They do,” says Barnhill. (Yes, he’s related: the nephew of the late investment banker Gregory H.) “My son’s more into it than my daughter, and he’s actually gone on job sites with me over the years.”

Hannah Brancato, 28

feminist activist

Hannah Brancato is dead serious about changing American attitudes about rape. Through a variety of bold “art actions”—such as the Monument Quilt installation planned for the National Mall in Summer 2014—she seeks to “upset the culture of rape and promote a culture of consent.” A 2011 MFA graduate of MICA, Brancato was deeply affected by the issues of sexual assault and domestic violence while working at the House of Ruth. In 2010, she co-created FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture, a performance and art cooperative to foster frank conversation about these issues. “I was inspired by the possibility that art could be an effective way to change the culture,” she says.

Mike Brenner, 29

tech entrepreneur

Mike Brenner planned to live in Baltimore for one year then move West to “live the technology dream.” Instead, he funded an exciting group of web professionals and fell in love with the city. “Baltimore is a place where you can create new solutions and new ways of solving traditional problems, be it health care or education,” he says. “An area like San Francisco has a very well-developed culture, whereas in Baltimore I could be part of a creative class that’s helping define what this city looks like.” Brenner’s latest contribution is Betamore, a for-profit technology incubator, for which he is co-founder and CEO. Brenner calls it a “learning environment” as it is a hub for work, classes, talks by regional thought leaders, and mentoring. Through its Academy and Betamore Works initiatives, Brenner says they’re connecting their classroom grads with jobs.

Jeff Breslin, 30

youth advocate

Jeff Breslin sees his work with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation as “helping at-risk kids to understand that they have choices in life.” As vice president for programs, Breslin manages Badges for Baseball, which brings together police officers and youngsters to play ball, and is involved with the Youth Development Park Initiative, which builds synthetic turf fields in inner-city communities. “Our belief is if you give kids a chance to be involved in something positive, they’ll see that they can think about their future in a positive way,” he says. An active volunteer with several children’s charities, he says his drive comes from growing up with cystic fibrosis. “Sometimes I have to work twice as hard as other people,” he says.

Lindsay Buscher, 36

storeowner

Although Lindsay Busher opened her first Urban Chic boutique in Georgetown, she considers herself a Baltimore girl at heart. “It’s more me when it comes to style,” she says. At the store’s Harbor East location, she makes a point of carrying local designers, noting people underestimate the city’s style savvy. For Buscher, it’s about more than just fashion. She views Urban Chic as a platform to give back to the communities that have made the boutiques so successful. The annual Urban Chic fashion show, for example, benefits the American Visionary Art Museum. “Every morning I wake up lucky enough to have this company and to do this job that I love,” she says.

Jason Corace, 37

game designer

The first video game Jason Corace ever played was an Intellivision bowling game while helping care for his sick father for several months as a boy. Now, he’s an interactive media artist and game designer, having joined MICA’s Interactive Arts department in 2009 after working and teaching in design technology, game programming, and game-design strategy in New York. So why isn’t he working for 23k Games or Activision? “A lot of my work is more art-focused,” Corace says. “When it comes to games, I want to take a broad approach to them. If you’re working for a major company, there’s a couple of top people doing design, and most everyone else gets pigeon-holed designing help screens or something.”

Bill Ferguson, 30

state senator

Working in Baltimore City through Teach For America changed the trajectory of Bill Ferguson’s life from the career on Wall Street he’d anticipated to one in urban education. After stints as a teacher and administrator, he decided politics was the best way to effect change. Elected to represent the 46th district in 2010, Ferguson was involved in the passage of the 21st Century School Facilities Initiative that will build new city schools and renovate more—the largest investment in city schools infrastructure in 75 years. He advocates for early education, too: “Universal pre-K across Maryland would be one of the best public investments that could be made to ensure all children have access to equal opportunity.”

James C. Foster, 34

cyber security

James C. Foster took his first polygraph at age 15 (for an NSA internship) and has been hooked on security ever since. His first paycheck from the sale of a successful startup made him a serial entrepreneur. His latest security software company, Riskive, launched in January and is winning awards and drawing the attention of the mayor and governor, not to mention workers being recruited from Austin, New York, and the West Coast. A frequent lecturer, Foster speaks to high schools about how to start a business and works with parents, educating them about protecting kids online. Foster stays enthralled by cyber security because “you have the ability to save lives and safeguard organizations from being hacked.”

Jess Gartner, 26

education finance entrepreneur

Raised in an affluent New Jersey suburb, Jess Gartner was obsessed with two things: the city and new school supplies. So it’s no wonder that Gartner ended up in Baltimore (via Teach For America) and founded Allovue, which develops school financial-management software. “During my first year of teaching, we ran out of paper,” she says. “Meanwhile, I knew other schools that had iPad programs.” Gartner realized that a new budgetary model left it up to already over-burdened principals to determine school budgets, so she developed cloud-based software (which will replace the dinosaurs of Excel and Quickbooks) to help them organize finances. The Hollins Market resident is rolling out Allovue’s pilot program in eight to 10 Baltimore and D.C.-area schools this fall.

Chad Gauss, 33

chef and restaurateur

At The Food Market’s first birthday, 10 local chefs were there to celebrate. That camaraderie says something about the restaurant’s reputation in the community—and something about its chef and owner, Chad Gauss. “I’m trying to cook for you, Gordon Ramsay, and my mother all in the same night,” he says. That’s why Gauss creates dishes that are both approachable and impressive, a vision that has caused him to be embraced by foodies in Baltimore for both his restaurant and his newest venture, The Food Truck 450. All this and Gauss is just getting started. With dozens of new concepts on his mind at any given time, it seems it won’t be long before a new one comes to life.

Kevin R. Harris, 29

political communications director

Kevin R. Harris was 14 when he discovered a passion for public service. Helping his mother deliver hot meals to seniors in his native Bessemer, AL, Harris saw the struggles of people on fixed incomes. “I saw the the impact that folks in government can have on people’s daily lives,” he says. After studying journalism at Howard University and government at The Johns Hopkins University, he worked for then-Sen. Barack Obama on his 2008 presidential campaign and in his first-term administration. Last month, he moved to Baltimore to become Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s policy and communications director. “I wanted to work for a mayor because they are even closer to the ground,” he says. “It doesn’t get any closer than a mayor.”

Jacob Hodes, 32

private investment analyst

Jacob Hodes always wanted to be a congressman, but with time he realized that he could make more of an impact supporting community by fostering successful business development, which he now does as co-head of Brown Advisory’s private equity division. He also believes in the power of libraries, a lesson handed down from his mother, and is the board chair of Pratt Contemporaries at the Enoch Pratt Free Library. “Libraries are at a crossroads,” he states. “It’s important to preserve them so people of all walks of life have a place to go.” Through his board work with The Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies, he takes part in a dialogue to end hatred and improve interfaith understanding.

Melissa Hyatt, 37

area police commander

Lt. Col. Melissa Hyatt stands out in the Baltimore City Police Department for lots of reasons: The 16-year veteran and daughter of a police major served seven years with the SWAT team, has a master’s degree in management from The Johns Hopkins University, and was chosen to participate in both a United Nations training program in Sweden and the 10-week FBI National Academy. And, after only seven months of managing the Central District, she was promoted to Lt. Colonel, serving as one of three area commanders. But the marathon runner (who also helps coordinate lacrosse programs) does get some free time. “Honestly, I love just relaxing with family and friends or taking my dog for a run—low-key, relaxing things where I can decompress a little.”

Jason Kalirai, 35

astrophysicist

Growing up in the remote town of Quesnel, British Columbia, Jason Kalirai always had an impeccable view of the stars. After an 11th-grade physics class, he was hooked on astrophysics, which he studied at the University of British Columbia. After a post at the University of California, Santa Cruz, he wound up at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Kalirai studies the life cycles of stars, gives astronomy lectures to kids once a month, and is helping build the James Webb Space Telescope (the Hubble’s successor), which is the size of a tennis court and will be 100 times more powerful than its predecessor when it launches in 2018. “We’ll be able to look at planets that are going around other stars and figure out their atmospheres,” says the Ellicott City resident. “Essentially answering, ‘Are we alone in the universe?’”

Chase Kalisz, 19

collegiate swimmer

Bel Air native Chase Kalisz says the reason he started swimming at the age of 3 was simple: “My parents needed to put me somewhere while my mom was pregnant with my little brother.” I bet they’re glad they did. Now Kalisz trains at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) under the direction of Coach Bob Bowman—yes, the same club and coach as Michael Phelps—and just returned from the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, where he earned a silver medal in the 400-meter IM. When he’s not traveling the world or in the pool at NBAC, Kalisz is studying business at the University of Georgia—but he never strays far from his passion. “The ultimate goal is Rio,” he says, referring to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

John LaMattina, 36

liver transplant surgeon

Good news for you prospective organ donors: You don’t have to be dead to help Dr. John LaMattina. The University of Maryland Medical Center’s director of living donor liver transplants (and licensed pilot of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft) can take a portion of kidney or liver from a donor to save a patient, something only a handful of docs in the world are trained to do. A memorable case came early in his career at Maryland. “It was our first living donor case at Maryland—a very young woman with total liver failure, getting sicker before our eyes,” LaMattina recalls. After futile calls to area donor centers, her boyfriend stepped up as the donor. “They’re both doing fine now.”

Sean Lane, 33

military tech CEO

After doing five tours as an intelligence officer in the military, Sean Lane realized there was a need for more software out on the front lines. So, in 2008, he founded Battlefield Telecommunications Systems (BTS), which develops mobile, telecom systems for the military. After that he started OmniScience Technology Partners to invest in other startups (like Parking Panda and SocialToaster). He’s also the co-founder of Betamore and Digital Harbor Foundation, which teaches tech courses to kids. But the Inner Harbor resident says his main passion remains in military technology. “The military has all of this data that it started gathering a decade ago with the war on terror,” he says. “I wanted to start a company to handle all of that data in a high volume.”

Beth Laverick, 31

event manager

Renaissance woman might be an understatement. Butchers Hill resident Beth Laverick is the event manager for Waterfront Partnership (the organization’s first full-time employee), where she plans dozens of family-friendly waterfront events a year and is also the events coordinator for the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance (DBFA). On top of that, she runs the Baltimore franchise of Wonder Sitter, a high-end babysitting service. (“It’s almost like Uber for kids.”) Additionally, she moderates the Southeast Community listserv, volunteers with the Friends of Patterson Park, and raises her two kids (2 and 4). And she has no plans of slowing down. “I’m not leaving the city,” she says. “And it’s my mission to keep other families here, too.”

Brooke E. Lierman, 34

civil rights attorney

When she was nine months pregnant, Brooke E. Lierman stood for hours to represent a community group—pro bono—in a hearing with the city’s liquor board. Helping neighborhoods close irresponsible bars is just one cause about which Lierman is passionate. As an associate at Brown, Goldstein & Levy, she does civil-rights litigation, working on issues of disability, fair housing, and better treatment of low-wage workers. Inspired by the dysfunction she saw through work and her frustration as a member of the Fells Point Residents Association, she’s running for state delegate for the 46th district. “I think Baltimore is an underdog and I love to fight for an underdog,” she says, “We’re ready and want it to be the city we all aspire for it to be.”

Jennifer Lockhart, 36

nurse and practice administrator

Growing up, Jennifer Lockhart admired her mom’s nursing work at Health Care for the Homeless and Bon Secours. The apple didn’t fall far, as Lockhart has been an OB/GYN nurse at Johns Hopkins for 14 years, ascending from staff nurse to coordinator. During her career, she traveled with doctors to Ecuador, Guatemala, and Colombia to assist with various GYN surgeries. Now she manages two clinics for Hopkins Community Physicians in Wyman Park and Odenton. Lockhart is also the vice chair for the United Way of Central Maryland’s young professionals group. “I’d like to see everybody be more responsible for their health care,” she says. “People should take advantage of the two big powerhouses we have right here in the city.”

Kevin Lynch, 32

new media founder

Since launching his news website SouthBmore.com in 2012, Kevin Lynch has gotten hundreds of e-mails from locals thanking him for providing easily accessible information about their neighborhood. “We’re taking all those conversations at the bar, at the dog park, and on the street, and bringing them online,” he says. What started as a hobby has become critical as hyper-local coverage shrinks at larger newspapers. While other sites can “look like a police blotter,” Lynch aims to provide visibility to positive things happening in South Baltimore’s vibrant, entrepreneurial community. And the concept doesn’t stop there. Someday, Lynch hopes to expand the model to other areas throughout the city.

Hyeseung Marriage-Song, 35

artist and professor

At Hyeseung Marriage-Song’s Bolton Hill row home, you might find a roboticist, astronomer, and an installation artist engaged in lively conversation over dinner. A transplant from the Manhattan art scene, Marriage-Song describes herself as a connector. “I see my role as appreciating Baltimore for what it is, and pushing it to what it could be,” she says. With her husband, a cosmology professor at Hopkins, the artist has the ability to bring together the city’s scientific and artistic communities, hosting reading groups and informal salons in her home. While the spark might ignite between MICA and Hopkins, Marriage-Song wants to light a fire within every Baltimorean. She sees her contribution as “trying to, wherever I go, electrify [the city] in my own way.”

Jennifer Meyer, 36

economic development leader

Attracting new businesses and jobs to the region is her game, and non-stop is her name: Sure, Jennifer Meyer has her hands full as COO of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, but then there’s also teaching at Loyola University, co-organizing the Ignite Baltimore and TEDxBaltimore speaking series, and teaching financial education in public schools, plus involvement in Casey Cares, the Bea Gaddy Foundation, and the Digital Harbor High School. So which of these really gets her blood pumping? (Speaking of pumping blood, she also coaches at CrossFit gym.) “Teaching is a big thing for me,” says Meyer. (The former Jen Gunner was married in April.) “If I can make a difference in someone’s life in a small way, that’s huge.”

Wes Moore, 35

author and youth advocate

While on a study program in South Africa, Wes Moore got a call from his mother telling him that there were wanted posters in their neighborhood with his name on them. Thus begins the story of Rhodes Scholar Wes Moore and another Wes Moore, just blocks from him, who would be sentenced to life in prison. Moore turned these parallel lives into a book, The Other Wes Moore, which is being adapted into a film produced by Oprah Winfrey and HBO. He also works with youth in the criminal justice system and aims to attract and retain talent in the city. “There’s a very thin line that divides all of us,” says Moore, who lives in Guilford with his expectant wife and daughter. “I want to show young people that second chances do become last chances.”

Evan Morville, 35

real-estate developer

When college freshman Evan Morville responded to an ad in the Towson Times to clean a boat, he didn’t know his life would change forever. The boat owners were real-estate developers at Southern Land Company, where he ended up working for the next 12 years. Then, in 2005, at a dinner party, again by chance, he met Donald and Thibault Manekin who started Seawall Development Corp. three years later and brought on Morville as partner and principal. Working with Teach For America, Seawall renovates old buildings to provide housing for teachers and office space for nonprofits, like the Baltimore Urban Debate League. So far, they have developed Miller’s Court in Remington and Union Mill in Hampden. “We don’t want to do it like our fathers,” the Mt. Washington resident says. “We want to use real estate to affect social change.”

Marilyn Mosby, 33

prosecutor

Now that she’s a candidate for Baltimore state’s attorney, you’ll hear a lot about Marilyn Mosby—about how both of her parents, grandfather, two aunts, and three uncles were Boston police officers; about her years as an assistant state’s attorney; and about her commitment to safe neighborhoods. Mosby married her Tuskegee University sweetheart, City Councilman Nick Mosby, and together they rehabbed a Reservoir Hill shell where they live with their two girls. Policy-wise, she emphasizes repeat offenders and working with victim’s families and witnesses. “When I was 14, my cousin was killed on his doorstep over a pair of sneakers,” she says. “It’s only because a witness came forward that the guy is off the streets.”

Shalita O’Neale, 30

foster youth advocate

After growing up in foster care and group homes, Shalita O’Neale dedicated herself to helping young people make the difficult transition from the foster system to independent living as adults. As founder of Maryland Foster Youth Resource Center (MFYRC), O’Neale is a passionate evangelist for the needs of this at-risk population. MFYRC provides mentoring, life-skills classes, help finding work and housing, and grants for expenses such as food, utilities, bus fare, and rent. How did O’Neale emerge unscathed from such a difficult childhood? “What really helped me was the mentors I met along the way,” she says. “If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Mark Parker, 31

pastor

Rev. Mark Parker became pastor of Breath of God Lutheran Church in 2009 and set out to reinvigorate the 109-year-old institution, formerly St. Paul Lutheran, whose worship attendance had dwindled to about 25. He wanted the church to reflect the increasingly diverse Patterson Park neighborhood and ignite dialogue, and unity among its parishioners. With his welcoming demeanor and a knack for building partnerships, he has succeeded (there are now 160 active members). “The church is about as fully integrated as you can get into community,” he says. “Whether [our neighbors] are interested in going to church or not, they see Breath of God as a place that belongs to them.”

Jason Reed, 29

urban agriculturalist

Jason Reed was born on a 4-H farm before eventually ending up in Baltimore to study composition at Peabody Conservatory. After being let go from a teaching position, he used his green thumb to start the Filbert Street Garden in Curtis Bay, a green space for residents and schools (Curtis Bay Elementary/Middle and Ben Franklin High). Elementary classes are taught by middle-school kids, who keep a harvest calendar, which turns into a farmers’ market run by the high schoolers. Students have come a long way from when Reed started, and they didn’t know what carrots looked like. “The result now is a community-managed food source centered around a learning space,” he says.

Christopher Sachse, 32

IT entrepreneur

Christopher Sachse says he wants to be a serial entrepreneur, and he’s well on his way. He started his first company when he was 19, launched Horsetail Technologies—an IT outsource company for regulated industries—two years ago, and has two new businesses getting started. While he’s full of business ideas, he also wants to play a role in breaking what he calls “The Wire mentality” outsiders have of Baltimore. Until he can create his own mentoring foundation, he supports Year Up, an education and internship program for under-served youth, hosting interns and teaching. “I like to teach a person to fish,” he says. “That will continue to perpetuate the growth of the city.”

Sophia Silbergeld, 32

political fundraiser

Sophia Silbergeld knows that political fundraising gets a bad rap, but, “you’re working for people you know and believe in and new people, challengers in elections, or issue campaigns like the Dream Act, so it’s always exciting.” A Quaker born to politically active parents, she now works as the senior fundraising associate for Martin-Lauer Associates and was particularly happy to be chosen treasurer and a lead fundraiser for the Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign. She puts her know-how to work outside the office on The Walters Art Museum Government Relations Committee, and, in her free time, she’s learning to knit for the 500 Hats Project, which donates winter hats to city school children.

Blake Smith, 28

restaurateur

Everybody likes pizza. It’s why Blake Smith started his entrepreneurial career with Bagby Pizza Co. in 2009. The Harbor East pizza shop’s success led to two neighboring restaurants: the casual fine-dining joint TEN TEN in 2011, and the upscale Fleet Street Kitchen in 2012. Together, these three have made their mark on Baltimore’s culinary scene. What sets them apart is Smith’s commitment to local ingredients, most of which come from the group’s own Cunningham Farms in Cockeysville. Inspired by the farm, the newest venture, Cunningham’s, opens next month in Towson. But Smith says his firstborn is still his passion. “I’m most proud of the pizza shop,” he says. “I still run that place myself, without any managers.”

Torrey Smith, 24

NFL wide receiver

Though Torrey Smith has only been a Raven since 2011, he already feels like a mainstay. Last season alone, the University of Maryland grad had eight touchdown receptions, including two TD’s in a division playoff game that led to a double-overtime-win against the Broncos. His Baltimore-based Torrey Smith Foundation works with at-risk youth and those affected by domestic violence. During the off-season, Smith worked for several weeks as an unpaid intern in the office of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings. “Football doesn’t last forever,” Smith says. “So I like to see what else is out there. I learned more about the government and how much your congressmen really do to help the community.”

Brian Strumke, 37

independent beer brewer

Brian Strumke wasn’t the biggest beer fan, so, nine years ago, he started home brewing in his Conkling Street backyard to make something he actually liked. Inspired by Belgian-style beers at The Brewer’s Art, Strumke founded Stillwater Artisanal, which released its first beer in 2010. Within six months (and after being named the world’s second-best brewer by RateBeer.com), Strumke quit his full-time job at Hopkins. Stillwater is now distributed to 35 states, 75 percent of Europe, and to Singapore, Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand. But Strumke hasn’t forgotten his roots—he opened gastropub Of Love & Regret last year, on the same block where he began brewing in the first place. “It makes it very poetic,” he says.

Mike Subelsky, 36

entrepreneur

Mike Subelsky first experienced what he calls Baltimore’s “can-do, supportive attitude” when he co-founded the Baltimore Improv Group in 2003. “I’ll always think of Baltimore as a place where any creative ambition I had was magnified 1,000 times,” he says. And his ambitions didn’t stop there: Subelsky’s founding roles in Baltimore Hackathon and Ignite Baltimore brought him to the center of the city’s tech community, in which he’s founded a number of companies, including his latest venture STAQ, an advertising technology firm. Now, Subelsky’s goal is to bring his passion to the next generation. “Software is disrupting so many industries in America,” he says. “We need more people who can code.”

Ashley Valis, 31

Governor’s assistant chief of staff

Ashley Valis is a true testament to rising up the ranks. The University of Maryland social work grad started on then-Mayor Martin O’Malley’s gubernatorial campaign as a volunteer, then volunteer coordinator, then wound up in the intergovernmental affairs office (for which she became deputy director), and now is the governor’s assistant chief of staff, focused on restoring the Bay and combating climate change. “It’s pretty non-sexy stuff,” she says. “Touring a Back River waste-water treatment plant is just another day.” Though O’Malley is only in office for 16 more months, the Ridgley’s Delight resident says she wants to remain in public affairs. “I still want to make a case for a good cause,”

Adam Van Bavel, 34

philanthropist

“It always starts this way for me,” says Adam Van Bavel, discussing his bid for Baltimore City Council. “I want to get involved a little bit and end up doing pretty much the most you can do.” Though he has a day job (doing marketing sales at Vocus), Van Bavel is best known for the work that doesn’t come with a paycheck—whether it’s fighting to improve Baltimore by being a write-in candidate, becoming director of the Pigtown Festival, or even growing facial hair to raise money for city schools through Mustaches for Kids. Seeing more potential for networking events, he just launched BmoreLocal to unite businesses, nonprofits, and individuals from different walks of life.

Jessica Watson, 30

graphic designer

Jessica Watson knew she was an outside-of-the-box thinker when she was a sophomore at McDaniel College and she turned her dorm into an art gallery—where students bought art off the walls. So it’s no surprise that she now owns JWatson Creative, a design studio that builds brands, websites, and marketing campaigns. Watson also heads up B’More Creatives, a networking and support group for women in the creative profession. “We have a lot of great talent in Baltimore,” she says. “The one thing we have to do better is connect the dots.” Currently, Watson is traveling the country, scoping out other cities’ creative scenes and chronicling the whole thing on her website’s Design By Travel blog.

Rochelle L. Williams, 32

educational researcher

Rochelle L. Williams is unimpressed by media’s representation of women and hopes to be a better role model. “You don’t have to keep up with the Kardashians, and what you see on Basketball Wives is not reality,” she says. “It really scares me when I turn on the TV, and I know this is what little girls are watching.” Williams advocates for women and under-represented populations in STEM careers through her work at ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), by tutoring high schoolers, and as a member of The National Society of Black Engineers’ Public Policy Interest Group. She strategically bought her first house in the redeveloping Preston Place neighborhood so she could make an impact. “I don’t need to be in the ‘hottest’ area of Baltimore, but in the area where I think I’m needed.”

Andres Zapata, 37

advertising executive

Coming to the United States from Colombia made Andres Zapata aware of cultural differences. “I’m fascinated by culture—how it works or doesn’t, how you can influence action, change behavior, or celebrate certain aspects of culture,” he explains. Integrated advertising agency IDFive, where Zapata serves as executive vice president, taps the cultural zeitgeist using digital analytics to revolutionize communications, but that isn’t enough to keep him enthralled. He teaches at MICA (and has recruited employees from his classes) and self-published several books, including The Recession Nation, an artistic perspective on the recession. When he couldn’t find a version of a Colombian children’s story for his son, he simply recreated one; Los Pollitos has since been downloaded more than 33,000 times from iTunes.

His appearance on stage last fall at Centennial High School’s auditorium, with friends Brock Yetso and Lance Armstrong in tow, should’ve been a simple, happy homecoming for Doug Ulman. The 36-year-old CEO of the Livestrong Foundation had won three state soccer championships here with Yetso, never losing a game. He’d gone on to play at Brown University before receiving a cancer diagnosis just prior to his sophomore year and then, remarkably, survived two more bouts of cancer in school while also launching the Baltimore-based Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Instead, however, a cloud hung over the “Lance Unplugged” event in the Centennial auditorium. Yetso, hosting the forum with Armstrong and Ulman, noted more than 50 cancer survivors were signed up for the Half Full Triathlon in Ellicott City the next day—which Armstrong had entered at the last minute. “Why this race?” Yetso asked the Tour de France legend. “You could do any race in the world.”

Armstrong responded with an awkward smile and a glance toward the audience—acknowledging the elephant in the room. “Well, that’s technically not true.”

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) had just handed Armstrong a lifetime competition ban after he announced he’d no longer contest the organization’s blood-doping charges. In truth, he came to Howard County because race organizers relinquished their USA Triathlon sanction just for him—in hopes his participation would raise more money for its charity, the Ulman Cancer Fund. The $50 Lance Unplugged tickets sold well, and auctioning off a Trek bike and jersey signed by Armstrong raised another $7,500. Still, there was a sense the other shoe was about to drop for Armstrong. Which it did.

Three days later, the USADA published its final report—more than a thousand pages of evidence and testimony from more than two dozen people, including 15 cyclists—documenting payments, e-mails, and test results proving “the use, possession and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong.” Two weeks after his Centennial High appearance, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

Ulman admits today he’d held private doubts about the veracity of Armstrong’s denials for some time. But it wasn’t until he read the USADA report that he was forced to acknowledge his good friend—Ulman got married in Armstrong’s Austin, TX, backyard—had lied to him for years. “There’s not one thing in particular that I remember, except that it was a sad occasion,” Ulman says of Armstrong’s apology to him over dinner before his infamous confession with Oprah in January. “It was definitely emotional.”

Of course, Ulman’s broader concern was the hit Armstrong’s cancer foundation—whose mission had become his own life’s work—would take in the fallout around the disgraced cyclist. Suddenly, the nonprofit’s survival was being questioned.

“There is no playbook for dealing with this sort of thing,” Ulman says.

A compelling public speaker with his own powerful story, Ulman is now assuming what had been Armstrong’s public role. Among high-profile media appearances, he appeared on Today shortly after the USADA report came to light. In March, he did a Q & A with Time magazine.

He also has had to assume a greater role in motivating Livestrong staff and volunteers, admitting morale at Livestrong headquarters suffered a blow as the bottom fell out of the founder’s story.

Sitting in his office, a yellow Livestrong bracelet still around his wrist, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman recalled the summer afternoon 17 years ago that led to his younger brother’s initial cancer diagnosis. “We were running together through Dorsey’s Search [a Columbia neighborhood] and he kept coming back to check on me—because he was faster and in a lot better shape,” says Ken Ulman, a former Centennial point guard, but by then no longer a competitive athlete like his brother, who was preparing for his second season in the Brown midfield.

“He had asthma, but it had always been manageable. This time, though, he couldn’t get his breathing under control and went to Howard County General. They took a chest X-ray, almost as precaution, and that’s when it showed up.”

The X-ray revealed a tumor attacking rib cartilage in the then 19 year old. Ultimately, he underwent surgery for bone cancer, but was far from in the clear from cancer, and, over the next year, Ulman was diagnosed and treated twice for malignant melanoma. Determined to play soccer again, he returned to help Brown to three Ivy League Championships in four years. At the same time, he was turning his attention to a new challenge.

In college, Ulman, who could pass for Armstrong’s younger brother and possesses a similar blue-eyed intensity—albeit matched with earnestness rather than arrogance—studied American history and education. He had every intention of becoming a social studies teacher and soccer coach. But while in school, with assistance from his family, particularly his mother, long active in the Howard County community, he founded the nonprofit Ulman Cancer Fund. It provides support, education, and resources to young adults diagnosed with cancer, including help navigating the health-care system.

“Cancer may leave your body, but it never leaves you,” says Ulman, who discovered few informational sources while receiving treatment. “You get a cold or the flu and you wonder if you are okay. I still go to the dermatologist regularly for a scan, and the week leading up to that, I can experience a little anxiety.”

Early on, Ken Ulman says, his parents, Diana and Louis Ulman, instilled the importance of making a difference in the lives of others—volunteering the brothers at a local homeless shelter—as well as giving them the optimism and confidence that they could be leaders and problem solvers. (Diana and Louis Ulman, it should be noted, have overcome their own bouts with cancer.) Ken Ulman believes his always-driven brother—who was also Howard County Student Government Association president in high school—“is drawing on those qualities now” as he leads Livestrong through the public-relations crisis related to its founder.

Yetso, who has known Ulman since they were 10, says his pal’s resiliency was apparent on the soccer field long before his battles with cancer. “It was almost like he enjoyed being down 1-0 in a game,” Yetso says. “He is just someone who always responded to a challenge. He would’ve been a great social studies teacher and a coach that won state championships in soccer if he’d stayed on that track. He definitely became more focused [after cancer]—that experience changed him—but at the same time, he’s always been that way.”

As a junior at Brown, Ulman received an unexpected e-mail from Armstrong—who had not yet won his first Tour de France, but had learned of the young soccer player’s struggle with cancer. “I feel as if we are the lucky ones. Nobody can really have the perspective and the focus of a cancer survivor,” Armstrong wrote. “If there is anything I can do to help your cause, please let me know. Otherwise, look after yourself and take care.”

If there’s any doubt about Ulman’s affinity for a challenge, he did a 100-mile Himalyan ultra-marathon several years ago.

Staying in touch via e-mail for two years, Ulman eventually ventured to Texas to meet Armstrong in person during a charity ride.

Armstrong, of course, despite vigorously defending himself (to say the least) against doping allegations for the past decade, has always been the face of his cancer foundation. Raising millions for his cancer nonprofit may have enabled him, in terms of good will, to deflect negative publicity from the persistent doping allegations—as some have suggested. But it’s hard to question Livestrong’s efforts, which do not fund cancer cure research, but aim “to inspire and empower” cancer patients and their families, guiding individuals through the cancer experience and encouraging them to live an active life as a survivor.

Ulman, named president and CEO in 2007, helped develop Livestrong into one of the world’s best-known philanthropic organizations—one that took in $48.5 million in 2012. Not only does Livestrong have a legion of cancer-survivor supporters, including 116,000 donors worldwide last year, it has earned a four-star rating—the highest—from Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator.

But in the wake of the doping revelations, he quickly had to make a number of moves to separate the organization’s mission and work from its association with Armstrong. The first, Ulman says, was a commitment to “over communicate” both externally and internally. “We’ve probably had 50 meetings with our staff,” says Ulman, “some an hour, others five minutes.”

Most noticeably, three weeks after Armstrong lost his titles, the Lance Armstrong Foundation dropped the name of the disgraced cyclist from its title, officially changing its name to Livestrong.

Two weeks later, after discussing the issue with Ulman, Armstrong resigned from the board.

Still, he can’t—and probably no one can—replace Armstrong as a celebrity rainmaker. Instead, according to Meg Algren, associate professor of communications at Towson University, the key to Livestrong’s survival must be a renewed focus on its “product”—serving those with cancer diagnoses and cancer survivors.

Marian Stern, a philanthropy consultant and head of Projects in Philanthropy, says Ulman must manage a delicate balance in distancing Livestrong from Armstrong, but believes that Livestrong can survive. She also says Livestrong’s ability to thrive post-Armstrong will reveal more about how the organization was built, in terms of strength and integrity, than any single response to the cyclist’s ongoing crisis. (In April, the U.S. Department of Justice joined a lawsuit alleging fraud related to Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service sponsorship.)

Ulman already knows that the organization will suffer in terms of its fundraising. He says it has reduced its internal budget for this year by 11 percent, but adds that major grant funders like Nike and Oakley remain on board. To Algren’s point, Ulman is also quick to add that Livestrong is “doubling down” on its mission in 2013, planning to spend more this year—it maintains a $38 million endowment—on its various programs than last.

“We are going to use this opportunity to get the word out about who we are,” he says.

Ulman, who reportedly earned $354,150 in 2011, says he never considered cutting ties with Livestrong. “I feel such a responsibility to the organization and our mission,” he says, remaining grateful to Armstrong in many ways. “Without him and the intensity of his efforts, we wouldn’t have been able help the hundreds of thousands of people that we have.”

In the end, Ulman says, accepting his good friend Armstrong’s mistakes—however gross, including going after former teammates—is akin to dealing with the bad behavior of a family member. “You can be disappointed, frustrated, but you don’t cast a family member or friend aside and overlook what they’ve meant to you and the good things they’ve done.

“It’s ironic,” Ulman says. “We are in the business of survivorship. And all of the tools that we use to help people navigate cancer—now we have to apply those same principles to the organization.”

UPDATE (5/30/13): Nike announced that the company will stop production of its Livestrong line of exercise apparel and gear at the end of this year, terminating a licensing agreement that helped raise $100 million for the cancer foundation, according to Reuters and numerous media outlets. Ron Cassie is following the story here.

When is a table more than a table? When it used to be a row house. (Okay, we’ll explain.)

Two years ago, a partnership formed among Habitat for Humanity, the U.S. Green Building Council, and Under Armour to build Baltimore’s first LEED Platinum certified home (the highest attainable for green building standards) in Sandtown. One of the requirements is that the builders must reuse and/or recycle the majority of material waste. So Will Phillips, head of Under Armour’s Green Program and an organizer in the Habitat project, sought out John Bolster, president of New Renaissance Architects and Builders, to reuse the salvaged lumber from the Habitat home in a creative way—making furniture. Sandtown Millworks was born.

The furniture was so sturdy and uniquely attractive that Phillips and Bolster decided to use more salvaged wood from other construction/demolition projects. “These trees started growing in the Revolutionary War era, if not before,” Phillips explains. “They have this beautiful wood grain and incredible density, which is why they are still in great shape after holding a building up for one hundred plus years. We can’t stand the thought of them rotting in a landfill.”

The duo plan to open a showroom later this year but, for now, shoppers can get their furniture fix through appointments at their Federal Hill workshop or at the JFX Farmers’ Market.

“People from Baltimore love it,” says Bolster. “It distills a lot of the character of each building into one piece of furniture. We keep the design simple and let the wood and its history stand out.”

http://www.sandtownmillworks.com