Lou Oberndorf, awardee Angelique Smith and Wes Moore at Moore’s Champions of #TheWORK Celebration. (Photo by Anderson Ward)
Wes Moore held his first Champions of #THEWORK celebration in Baltimore honoring a slate of unsung heroes from across the country working diligently to serve their communities. The event was heavily attended by many of Baltimore City’s and Maryland’s movers and shakers, including Mayor Stephanie-Rawlings Blake, former Mayor Kurt Schmoke, and former Maryland attorney general Doug Gansler.
The red carpet event had its genesis in Moore’s New York Times best-selling book, ‘The Work,’ which details his search for a life of meaning. “We all search for our greatness, because I really feel like all of us have this innate and inherent greatness,” Moore told the AFRO the night of the celebration. “The problem is, for many people, that we never find it because we let the world cloud our thought process.”
Lou Oberndorf, awardee Tyson Sanford-Griffin and Wes Moore. (Photo by Anderson Ward)
Moore said that two things stand out about people who have managed to find and harness their greatness, a strong passion for the work they do, and a work that is about service to others. “Part of what we wanted to celebrate now is champions of this idea of ‘the work,’ of people who have really found their calling, their purpose, and they’ve found it by basically moving themselves out of the way and giving all they have to somebody else.”
Among the evening’s honorees was Robert Clark, who runs an education and job training program for young people who have dropped out of high school in Newark, NJ. “Newark, very much like Baltimore, has seen a lot of challenges, and there are countless young people in need of services. The work that we do is important to the Newark community, and important to young people being able to understand they can transcend their circumstance,” said Clark.
Former U.S. Marine Corps Captain Christopher Minaya was also recognized for his work serving military veterans as a military ambassador for Cîroc Vodka, where he has focused on aiding veterans as they reintegrate into civilian life. “When you actually come home, and you’re in that position , it’s a very tough position to be in. You feel alone a lot of the times, and that’s why it’s important for things like this – like what Wes is doing, and organizations like what I have going – to bring everybody together and help out,” said Minaya.
The celebration and award ceremony was sponsored, in part, by Prudential Financial, whose vice chairman Mark Grier said found a natural partnership with Moore’s efforts to encourage a life of meaning. “We pride ourselves on the idea of having a higher purpose as an organization than just earnings per share, or just the stock price, or just the products we sell,” said Grier. “And Wes (Moore) is a leader and a role model and a fabulous person to be associated with.”
Rawlings-Blake, who attended the event, praised the effort to recognize persons who often work quietly behind the scenes yet have a big impact. “I think it’s wonderful that Wes and his wife are celebrating unsung heroes that without expectation of accolade are serving the community,” said the mayor.
For former attorney general Gansler, the evening was an opportunity to focus on the good that is occurring in our communities. “We so often are critical and cynical about what’s going on in our communities that we don’t take enough time to take a break, take a deep breath, and thank the people that give of themselves to help the community,” said Gansler.
ralejandro@afro.com