I’ve been hearing some buzz lately (seriously, from @BuzzEdition, who is actually a real person) over the last few weeks about a guy named Josh Charles. I looked him up, and this is one of the first quotes I found about him: “Josh feels that there are plenty of people who may have forgotten that the city of New Orleans still needs your help and the good people of New Orleans still need homes.”

Josh is right. While reading some of his stuff, I learned that it’s been almost four years since Hurricane Katrina hit the city. That blew me away — I can remember the live footage like it was yesterday. Unfortunately, even four years later, some parts of the city still look like they were hit only yesterday.

Josh, a rising star on the jazz music scene, has strong ties to New Orleans. He was forced to evacuate when the hurricane hit and has since made his home in Brooklyn, but his heart still remains with the true City of Jazz.

He’s giving back to the rebuilding effort in a very cool way: He recorded a song called “Healing Time”, a benefit single which speaks to the need for a little love and attention to post-Katrina New Orleans. The song is available via download on his website, and he’s negotiated a special deal with Amazon, which has agreed to waive its typical 30% royalties. You can download the song for just 99 cents, and every penny will be donated to the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. Their mission is to help rebuild, restore, and preserve the architectural history and historic neighborhoods that support the local culture and character of New Orleans.

Josh has a goal of one million downloads by August 29th, the fourth anniversary of Katrina, which would in turn raise one million dollars for the city. And you know how sometimes when you read about people online, it can seem like they’re not really “there” . . . like they’re just part of a nice story you read somewhere? Well, the people I feature on ItStartsWith.Us are very real. As a testament to Josh’s character, I want you to know that I emailed him about his project, and he got back to me right away. Go ahead and try it. Email him, or maybe talk to him on Twitter. He’s doing some good stuff.

So there you have it, folks. One dude. One song. One million dollars for rebuilding a historic city.

Who’s in?

Similar Posts:

• The Best Song You’ll Hear Today
• An Interview on “The Jungle of Life”
• Give A Day, Get A Disney Day
• Napa Valley Trip (Part I)
• How Solid Is Your Grasp Of Reality?