HEALING HAITI

After a 2010 earthquake devastated much of Haiti, Sara Wasserman began volunteering on the ground there through J/P Haiti Relief Organization (now CORE), a nonprofit co-founded by the actor Sean Penn.

Wasserman—daughter of acclaimed bass player Rob Wasserman, who passed away in 2016, and a musician, songwriter, and producer in her own right—was touched by how music could be used to give hope to children and help them heal in the wake of tragedy.

The experience led her to found Music Heals International (MHI), an organization that provides music education to children in Haiti, India, and Venezuela in partnership with CORE, Music Will, and Wayuu Taya Foundation. One important way the organization raises funds for its work is through house parties—intimate gatherings featuring award-winning musicians.

Adrian and Nancy Smith have hosted two house parties in the past for MHI and are hosting a third at their estate at 830 N. Green Bay Road on July 30. The party will feature live music from Jeffrey Steele, the Nashville-based country artist who has been nominated for five Grammy Awards.

“It’s a wonderful way to provide a comfortable but exclusive experience that stays off of the radar for the performer, who sometimes has to be mindful of what markets they play,” explains Pete Fisher, a music industry veteran and MHI board member who Wasserman and her team works with to identify talent for the house parties. “At friends’ houses we’ve had Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, and Lady Antebellum. It provides the opportunity to in a sense go behind the scenes in Nashville. If you were to ask around Nashville many people would tell you Jeffrey Steele is one of the best performing songwriters, so we’re thrilled to have him come up to Lake Forest.”

Wasserman says that with the help of monies raised from the benefit concerts and long-term supporters and partners, MHI has worked with more than 1,500 children in the countries in which it operates. The lead sponsor of the house party on July 30 is ISTO Advisors, a financial planning firm with offices in Lake Forest and Troy, Michigan, co-founded by Pete Fisher’s brother, Chris Fisher.

“I can’t really explain it. I just felt it was something I had to do,” Wasserman says. “Little did I know it would grow into what it’s grown into but thanks to so many people like Pete and Chris, it’s become an amazing organization.”

After spending large chunks of time on the ground in Haiti to get the organization established, Wasserman says that now they have a Haiti-based team that administers programs with their implementation partner in Haiti, CORE. Despite everything going on in Haiti right now, programs have kept operating, online or in person, and schools are reopening.

“Even though we’ve been through a lot, especially with the challenges of the current situation in Haiti, we have a number of advanced students who have been a part of our program for 10 years who have also formed their own bands and are now working as MHI teachers,” says Wasserman. “It is so inspiring to see what they are doing for other kids in their community”

For more information about MHI, to donate, or to purchase tickets for the Lake Forest house party, visit mhinternational.giv.sh/6600.