kingsoftrain

Please take part and donate to the Baltimore Community ToolBank, where my good brother Noah does some real work.

Check out the fundraiser HERE

*

And, here is my brother Noah Smock, saying:

I look forward to turning 42 on June 4th. I celebrate by shining a light on the organization I work with, the Baltimore Community ToolBank. If you are inclined to buy me a beer, I kindly ask you to contribute here instead in any amount to support our work.

Anyone who knows me knows about the ToolBank. It is worth taking a moment to talk about how I got involved and why I remain so passionate about our work. I'll start that today and then share 42 distinct reasons over the next 42 days that highlight why our work is so essential to the fabric of Baltimore and the region.
I won't share exactly one reason per day, as that will exhaust us all. But by the time this fundraiser comes to a close, I will have shared a total of 42. I hope to not only raise money but also deep awareness of our movement to share resources with others.

I will share at the start that I joined the ToolBank team after being part of a group that was a ToolBank partner. I very much understood the benefit of the organization as a user before I decided to apply for the Executive Director position. My first thought when I heard the job was open so early in the organization's life was, 'Man--someone strong has to apply for that job because the ToolBank cannot disappear!' The organization I was working with as a volunteer, The 6th Branch, would have had to radically alter our service model and reduce our impact if we did not have access to ToolBank tools.

That is the start of my journey with the ToolBank: An organic need for the service from an outside view. So when I post about how incredible the ToolBank is, I don't think about the fact that I am the Executive Director. I always think of myself as a volunteer who has used the tools in the field and who knows the value. It is so much more than a dude in a shed sharing shovels. The ToolBank provides access to partners who lack access and who can channel their capital into their mission instead of buying tools. The ToolBank makes new, positive, community-based projects possible. Small organization, huge responsibility and impact.

If you choose to support our work here, Facebook pays all the processing fees for you. 100% of your donation goes directly to the ToolBank, which we will use to keep our lights on, our people paid at respectable wages, our warehouse cat spoiled and our tools in the hands of those who need them most.